Shocking optical illusion road safety poster is a hit online

While you might think it's the likes of movies and brands that produce the most creative print ads, it seems there's another, more surprising sector churning out brilliant designs. Yes, the unsexy but very important world of road safety has offered some brilliant posters of late – and here's one more.

Reddit is currently going wild for an ingeniously simple print ad depicting what appears to be a gun, above the tagline: "Takes one life every 25 seconds." But look a little closer, and you'll see it's actually a set of keys. (Looking for more inspiration? Check out the best print ads of all time.)

The ad, created in 2013 by Pakistan-based English newspaper The Frontier Post, cleverly demonstrates how a vehicle can easily be as deadly as a gun. It's hardly the most subtle comparison out there, but the minimalist execution means the shocking message is delivered with style. 

The ad resurfaced on Reddit's DesignPorn page this week, where it currently has over 17,000 upvotes. "What a brilliant ad, I legit thought it was a gun until I read the caption," one user comments, while another adds, "Wow. Really excellent advertising, both in intent and in the creativity."

From confusing double sentences to morbid seatbelts, we've seen plenty of double-take-inducing posters from across the years pop up on Reddit in 2022, all designed to encourage safer driving. If you're inspired to design a poster of your own, take a look at our guide on how to download Photoshop.