I don’t smoke, but I really enjoy going through vintage cigarette advertising. A genre in itself, tobacco ads encompassed all design styles and ranged in subject matter from the scientific to the fashionable and iconic, and even to the bizarre…
Strange "Don't smoke & drive" (?) Russian Ad
But I love love classic French cigarette brand Gitanes‘ vintage ads. The modern (now considered retro-modern) designs and bright, bold colors are just lovely. And despite the eye-catching designs, the ads are very subtle – there are no cigarette health facts or hard-sell headlines. Just simple, beautiful designs featuring a gypsy lady. Here are some examples:
