ChangeWhatYouBuy: Protest Posters from 2003

In May 2003 I designed a series of satirical protest posters under the project name "ChangeWhatYouBuy." The concept was simple: use the language of advertising against itself. If consumer spending is the real vote in a capitalist democracy, then every purchase is a political act. These posters were designed to make that connection visceral and uncomfortable.

The Posters

BUY WHAT YOU ARE TOLD

WHAT YOU BUY RULES THE WORLD

SAVE THE SAUDI KINGDOM — BUY MORE GAS

SAVE ENRON — LEAVE YOUR LIGHTS ON

SUPPORT OPEC — BUY MORE GAS

THANK DEAD US TROOPS FOR CHEAP GAS

HYBRID CARS ARE EVIL — SUVs ARE GOOD

HOW MUCH BLOOD IS IN YOUR GAS?

The idea was to flip the script on consumer complacency. Every time you fill up your tank, you're casting a vote. These posters were meant to make that invisible transaction visible.