The mask has become an everyday object of our lives. An indispensable accessory to prevent the spread of the Sars-Cov2 virus while an effective vaccine arrives. Throughout these months of pandemic, we have seen recommendations and campaigns around the world to remind us of the importance of its use; some, as in the case of Spain, have been called controversial due to the harshness of their message. However, there are many ways to create effective communication, sometimes even a single image is enough. This is the goal of the Israeli graphic artist Noma Bar who, with his latest project “ Back to normal is up to you. Wear a mask ” (Back to normal depends on you. Put the mask on), hope to“ raise awareness ”.
Posted by Noma Bar on Friday, August 14, 2020
Bar, a graphic artist born in Israel in 1973 and living in London since 2001, is a regular contributor to newspapers such as The Economist, The Guardian and Time Out . Last year he illustrated the cover of Margaret Atwood's novel The Testaments , the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale . His new work, made for the American pharmaceutical company Mucinex, in collaboration with the McCann advertising agency, consists of a series of illustrations accompanied by messages such as "Miss rock concerts?" (Do you miss rock concerts?), "Miss cruise vacations?" (Do you miss your cruise vacation?), "Miss coffee with friends?" (Do you miss a coffee with friends?).
As Bar explains to Verne by video call, "when I received this commission I began to think about what we now call the new normal, and how much I missed the old normal." The graphic artist then began to "make a list of all those things that were part of our lives and that now we cannot do in the same way due to the current situation," he says. "I got many, the coronavirus has conditioned us a lot, and in the end I was discarded until I was left with these six situations, with which anyone can feel identified."
The rest of the messages from the campaign are: "Miss your hairdresser?" (Do you miss the hairdresser?), "Miss the office?" (Do you miss the office?), "Miss birthday parties?" (Do you miss birthday parties?). Some of these posters have also become popular on social networks such as Twitter or Facebook. A selection of them published by the Twitter account @puzzlereric has surpassed 18,000 retweets in less than a week.
I love these clever Wear A Mask posters from graphic designer Noma Bar. Pic.twitter.com/h0EhdmVioT
- Eric Berlin (@puzzlereric) August 13, 2020In these new Bar illustrations, the masks take the form of different objects and gestures, and blend into the faces of the characters. “Masks have transformed the human appearance; now it is part of our face ”, says the artist, who has dedicated many of his works to faces, some of which are included in the book Guess Who ?: The Many Faces of Noma Bar (2008). "The fact that now we can only see people's eyes puts us in a totally different scenario as a society," he adds. Accustomed to continuously observing his surroundings and taking ideas in his sketchbook, Bar says that in London he does not see “many people who carry them, unfortunately”.
In the UK, the rules work differently for its four nations (England, Scotland, Welsh and Northern Ireland). In England, for example, the use of the mask is only mandatory in closed spaces such as in public transport, shops, libraries or places of worship; although the legislation was not incorporated until last month. Other European countries such as France, Belgium or Austria, have also adopted similar measures recently.
In Spain, the mandatory mask was imposed throughout the country during the state of alarm. After this, the regulations depended again on each autonomous community. The outbreaks throughout July made each regional government again demand its use, even though the safety distance could be respected. Madrid and the Canary Islands have been the last to adopt this measure, making the mask mandatory throughout the country, with a 100-euro fine for not wearing it.
As Bar explains, the illustrations in “Back to normal is up to you. Wear a Mask ” try to appeal to everyone. "Regardless of age, it's everyone's responsibility," she says. Already at the beginning of the pandemic he had made two other collaborations with Mucinex and McCann, also related to the virus: “ Spread facts, no fear” and “ Be boring. Be a hero ” (Be boring. Be a hero). The latter was aimed at young people, encouraging them to stay home during confinement. His designs played with the idea of mixing heroism with home actions such as reading, listening to music or watching TV. "It was a way of saying that we don't ask you to take up arms and go out to fight, but to be a hero in this war, just stay home, be a boring hero," explains Bar, adding that these projects related to coronaviruses are the most emotional of his professional career, which spans more than two decades. "For the first time, I have felt that my illustrations can make a big difference, even save lives, if that message can get through to people and prevent the spread of the virus."
Although he cannot reveal much more, Bar anticipates that he will soon publish another campaign with Mucinex and McCann on covid-19. "Unfortunately, and until a vaccine is found, this disease will continue among us, so it will be necessary to continue communicating this and other types of messages," she concludes.
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