J

Juxtaposition

To juxtapose means to put side by side. When two objects are placed together they are automatically compared. ‘Before and after’ images work in this way; they imply that if the viewer uses a certain product they will become thinner, less balding or have clearer skin.

johnson banks, Britain, 1998
Design group johnson banks perfectly select old and new images in these posters created for the British Council. They juxtapose an evocative nostalgic black and white playground picture with an image of today’s multi-racial schools and a glowing old master painting with one of Damien Hirst’s dead sheep in a glass tank of formaldehyde – Hirst was at that time the enfant terrible of the Art World. The juxtapositions deliver a message that Britain is a place where history, tradition and vibrant modernity meet. See www.johnsonbanks.co.uk

Nicolai Howalt, Battered Boxer, 2000–03 (opposite)
Danish photographer Nicolai Howalt took shots of young boxers staring straight at his camera just moments before and after fighting. The two images were displayed side by side and captioned with the result – won or lost. The juxtaposition of the fresh faces before the bout with the battered, bloodied and bruised after it, together with the knowledge of success or failure conveys to the minds of viewers the brutality of each contest. The boxer at the top won; the one below lost. Now imagine how. See www.nicolaihowalt.com

Dogs and Their Owners (above and opposite)
This witty 2007 campaign for Cesar dog food juxtaposes dogs with their owners. It brings a smile to the faces of viewers and sparks recognition that we all know someone who looks like their pet.

David Pearson, Young Austerlitz book cover
This brilliantly simple book cover juxtaposes the profile of a young man’s face with that of his much older self. In just two hand-drawn lines the designer David Pearson encapsulates the passage of a man’s life from innocence to experience. See www.davidpearsondesign.com