NYC, Ad by Ad

November 6, 2026

By: Crystal Yang

Courtesy of Anthony Rosset via Unsplash

New York City is full of advertisements. From sidewalk signs to subway posters, ads are everywhere, desperate for your attention. In a city where almost every surface is covered with something to promote, it's easy to be seen, but hard to be remembered.

Welcome to NYC, Ad by Ad, a recurring series where I dissect and rank advertisements across the city. I will break down what works, what doesn't, and what I would do differently before ranking each ad in a tier list.

Each ad will be judged based on these four criteria, and scored out of five:

Visual Design — Is it visually pleasing and cohesive?

Creativity — Does it do something unexpected?

Clarity — Can I understand it in a few seconds?

Effectiveness — Does it catch my attention and spark my interest?

Before we get into the rankings, a quick disclaimer: these are entirely subjective and based on what I think alone. Feel free to disagree! In fact, I’d love to hear what you think and how you would rank them differently by filling out the Google Form at the end. Without further ado, here are some of the ads I spotted around NYC this October.

#1 NYU Take Your Flu Shot

Image courtesy of my phone

Visual Design: ★★★★★

Creativity: ★★★★☆

Clarity: ★★☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ★★★☆☆

The first ad is one that many of you may have recently encountered on campus. Visually, the overall layout of this poster feels very balanced. With the oversized headline and basketball taking up most of the poster and more detailed information in smaller text at the bottom, nothing feels awkwardly empty or overly crowded. Additionally, using NYU violet as the background color not only makes the orange basketball stand out, but also immediately connects the poster to NYU’s brand identity. I have to give this ad points for creativity. The basketball pun is clever and playful, and it attracts students who might not normally pay attention to a typical health announcement. 

However, this is also where the poster’s visual hierarchy becomes a problem. Although the basketball design successfully captures attention, it overshadows the actual purpose of the advertisement: encouraging students to get vaccinated. When my brother visited me, he genuinely thought it was advertising for a basketball game. This is a valid assumption because the most noticeable elements on this poster are “TAKE YOUR SHOT” and the giant basketball, while the actual message is tucked into much smaller text at the bottom. For students walking past, it is easy to miss the point, and it might only attract the attention of those who love basketball, missing a huge portion of the intended audience.

What would I change?

The first thing I would do is to enlarge “FLU” and move it right above “SHOT” so that “TAKE YOUR FLU SHOT” reads as one cohesive headline. Next, I would combine the imagery of a basketball and a flu shot to make the connection more immediate. For example, I would stick a needle into the basketball to make it look like it's being injected with a flu shot. The goal is to make sure the creativity supports the message rather than competes with it, so the flu shot message should be instantly recognizable.

Final verdict: Love the idea, but slightly missed the point.

#2 We Got Food

Image courtesy of my phone

Visual Design: ★☆☆☆☆

Creativity: ★★☆☆☆☆

Clarity: ★☆☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ★★☆☆☆

Regarding creativity, consider a poster that appears to have very little. I’ve seen plenty of posters around the city that seem to do the absolute bare minimum, like this one: white background, default font, giant QR code, done. I understand that looking deliberately under-designed is a strategy to stand out, and I’ll give this poster points for making me curious. With so little information on the poster, it can spark curiosity and prompt people to scan the QR code to learn more. 

However, curiosity can only take an ad so far. In a city where people are always in a hurry, not everyone has the time and motivation to take their phone out to scan a QR code without knowing what to expect. More importantly, this poster raises the question about the line between creativity and false advertising. This poster explicitly promises food, yet the QR code leads to an app completely unrelated to food. This disconnect between the advertised message and the actual product risks undermining brand reputation. Once the mystery starts to feel misleading, people may not only lose interest but also lose trust in the brand.

What would I change?

I’m not entirely against this ultra-minimalist style, as you will see in the next poster. In fact, I agree that this can be an effective way to stand out among the other carefully designed ads. But there is a difference between creating curiosity and creating brand confusion. 

To avoid false advertising, I would keep the stripped-down design, but add just a little bit more information: a brand name or logo, and a short one-sentence description of the actual purpose of this app. The ad should at least tell the audience what they are looking at and why they should care.

Final verdict: I need to know more.

#3 Elizabeth Holmes Look-Alike Contest

Image courtesy of my phone

Visual Design: ★★☆☆☆

Creativity: ★☆☆☆☆

Clarity: ★★★★☆

Effectiveness: ★★★★★

This poster exemplifies that even an ultra-minimalist design can communicate essential information effectively. Like the previous poster, the design is relatively simple, yet it successfully provides the audience with everything they need to know: what the event is, when it takes place, and why they should attend.

A huge reason why I think this poster is effective is because it knows its target audience. Rather than wasting space to explain who Elizabeth Holmes is or why a look-alike contest for her is funny, it assumes that its intended audience understands the reference. This reflects clear audience segmentation: instead of appealing to everyone, this ad focuses on a specific group of people who share a common interest. Additionally, this poster also draws on Elizabeth Holmes’s renewed cultural relevance. With the new documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, it taps into a recognizable pop-culture moment by using her most iconic picture. By utilizing audience segmentation, the poster uses this cultural reference to filter for the right audience.

What would I change?

Similar to the previous ad, I would retain the minimalist, homemade aesthetic, as it contributes to the humor while creating a casual, approachable atmosphere that encourages a wider range of people to participate. One thing I would change, though, is making it appear slightly more professional. While the casual design makes the event approachable, it may also make it feel less credible. I would start by cleaning up the spacing to ensure better visual cohesiveness and make the prize more visible. I would also make sure that the organizer’s name or social handle is clear on the poster. These are small changes, but they would give the event more credibility and potentially motivate more peopleto actually show up.

Final verdict: Simple but effective. I actually want to go see this.

#4 DedCool Perfume

Image courtesy of my phone

Visual Design: ★★★★☆

Creativity: ★★★☆☆

Clarity: ★★★★☆

Effectiveness: ★★★★☆

NYC subways are filled with advertisements everywhere you look. This one caught my attention right away. Compared to other subway ads, which are packed with vibrant colors and tons of information, this ad felt like a breath of fresh air. There is nothing particularly groundbreaking about it, but the soft and neutral design seem so calming and refreshing compared to the other louder ads next to it.

Designing perfume ads can be challenging because audiences cannot smell the fragrance, so brands must rely heavily on people’s imagination. This is a great example of capturing a perfume's scent through visuals. The stacked cups with coffee dripping through them immediately made me picture something warm, creamy, and coffee-inspired without needing a long description of the fragrance notes. This ad also contains just the right amount of information. It has the brand name, the fragrance, and where people can buy it, which is everything you need to know to buy a perfume. I have never heard of DedCool before, but this ad really made an impression on me.

What would I change?

My only issue with this ad is the typography. I love the airy, modern font used for DedCool, but the font used for “MOCHA MAGIC” feels slightly out of place. Compared to the overall design, this font feels rigid and interrupts some of the softness created by the rest of the poster. I would  use the same font for DedCool here. Or, I would choose a typeface that better complements the brand logo. Something that is rounder, thinner, and more distinctive: Gruppo, for example. I would ensure every piece that makes up this poster communicates the same brand identity.

Final verdict: Visually pleasing and effective. It really caught my attention.

#5 Sigma Go Build It. IT Approves

Image courtesy of my phone

Visual Design: ★★☆☆☆

Creativity: ★☆☆☆☆

Clarity: ★★☆☆☆

Effectiveness: ★★☆☆☆

As mentioned earlier, a simple subway advertisement can offer a refreshing contrast to the visually crowded environment. However, depending on the product type, simplicity is not always the answer to stand out and be memorable. For this Sigma ad, I like how the slogan is short, clear, and centered. The problem is that after reading the entire ad, I still have almost no idea what Sigma actually does. Although the line underneath gives a little more context, this ad does not visualize what the brand offers. 

I recognize that I may not be Sigma’s target audience, and someone working in data analytics or IT would understand the message faster than I do. Still, speaking purely from a design perspective, this ad fails to motivate me to scan that QR code and learn more. The overall visual design feels generic. The excess white space and the blue corner make it seem like a default Canva template. To be honest, I completely forgot about this ad until I stumbled across the photo in my camera roll. Simplicity works when every element present works together to build a brand identity, but here, Sigma’s identity is missing.

What would I change?

I would keep the slogan and make sure that it is still the first thing audiences see. Instead of having so much empty space, I would use a faded screenshot or stylized graphic of the Sigma platform in action. This would preserve the simple design, but give people a better understanding of what Sigma is. Additionally, I would enlarge the Sigma logo because it is currently only in the corner and can be easily overlooked. Lastly, to increase engagement with the ad, I would write something as simple as “see Sigma in action” above the QR code to give audiences a reason to scan. For someone not familiar with this field, these changes can communicate the message of the brand much more clearly.

Final verdict: Tell me what Sigma is.

#6 7SoulsDeep

Image courtesy of my phone

Visual Design: ★★★★★

Creativity: ★★★★★

Clarity: ★★★★★

Effectiveness: ★★★★★

To conclude with a more unconventional form of advertising. These short handwritten phrases on sidewalks have become a recognizable trend on social media, usually accompanied by someone’s cute shoes at the bottom of the frame. Unlike traditional advertisements that promote a specific product or service, 7SoulsDeep is primarily promoting a personal brand as a street artist. The handwritten messages serve as a form of personal branding, establishing a recognizable artistic identity. In this sense, the artwork itself is the advertisement.

What I think 7SoulsDeep does so well from a marketing perspective is understanding shareability. These one-liner phrases are short and extremely relatable. Some might criticize these phrases for being cliché, but that’s what makes them so memorable. People are willing to share these phrases on social media because they feel more intimate than a quote you simply scroll past online. Finding one unexpectedly written on the sidewalk makes it feel like a message you personally stumbled upon. The handwritten style adds to this feeling, making each phrase seem spontaneous and almost as if someone left it there specifically for you. 

Furthermore, this format is also designed to be reposted. Every time someone shares a picture, @7SoulsDeep is right there underneath the quote. Therefore, the audience voluntarily becomes the main form of distribution, and this organic distribution is incredibly valuable. The work has become so recognizable that 7SoulsDeep has built a huge audience base, with 167K followers on Instagram alone. This unconventional, yet simple, form of advertising has helped 7SoulsDeep gain recognition around the world. 

What would I change?

Nothing. I honestly don't think I could have come up with this idea myself.

Final verdict: The best ads are the ones people voluntarily advertise for you.

Final Ranking

Here is the final tier ranking of the ads that I came across this October! Again, as a reminder, these rankings are completely subjective. An ad that I stopped to look at might be one that you walked right past, and that is what makes marketing so interesting.

The next time you see an ad around the city, I invite you to think with me. What caught your attention, and why? If you have any thoughts about the ads I ranked, I’d love to hear them! Please fill out the Google Form below and share your take. Maybe you will convince me to rethink my rating next time. 

See you in the next edition of NYC, Ad by Ad!

Feedback form: https://forms.gle/LYtd398gaJHfr2UMA