Incredible Billboards

This image is from a link sent to me by a friend and is part of a post on 50 extraordinary and attractive billboards. There is some incredible work and it goes to show how fun and interesting outdoor imagery can be. In fact these outdoor advertisements, especially those with site specificity are often wonderful engagements with the public environment that cause you to notice relationships between yourself and your surroundings. The problem is instead of that being the ultimate goal, the thoughts created by the imagery before you end up being punctuated by the company responsible for the ad. This use of public space and artistic talent to heighten your relationship with a corporate identity is both manipulative and an improper use of public space. The public is not a commercial playground, it is a forum for public debate and interactions. Despite being incredible, these advertisements are still an abuse of our shared public environment.