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• Is Your Core Message Invisible?

  By Burkey Belser

  Posted on May 18, 2009 at 4:48 pm

  Follow up to “What’s Your Takeaway?“

  Is your core message is invisible?
  Doesn’t really matter whether it’s an ad or a Web site or a spread from a brochure. We can be on message, but the message is lost in a headline that competes with other copy or other visuals or a fractured layout. The result? Visual confusion. No takeaway. By the way, we can do this with illustration as well. You don’t need someone to art direct anything, frankly. Just look at the photograph or illustration and ask, “Do I get it immediately?” Even three seconds is too long. If you answer that question, then you can quickly clean up the details – choose better colors, improve the typography, etc. Consider a notorious client response, “Make the logo bigger.” Because for them, that’s a key takeaway!

  You can actually use this question, “What’s your takeaway?”, to drill down into the details. Look at a paragraph of type. “What’s your takeaway?” Why is this important? Because thoughtless design can defeat the reader at every step. Remember, good design is really no different than good manners. Should I have a boldfaced lead in to that graph? Should I create subheads to make it easier to scan the type? Have I made easy for my reader to get the point?

  In any case, whether or not you feel this is helpful, understand that we are going to ask that question every time. So at the very least, be prepared to answer.

  Tags:

  Art Direction, Online Communications, Print Communication 

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