Shiny Happy People
Remember that R.E.M. song? Wow, what a bad song from such a great band. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm referring to the latest trend in marketing communications, where it seems like nearly every piece you see – be it a billboard, brochure, website, banner, credit card or advertisement – has a scene with a handful of happy people smiling at the camera. Sometimes it works; hey, designers are trained that specifically in advertising, having a positive-looking person staring straight forward captures viewer attention. Many times it doesn't; not because of the overall look of the piece or because this type of composition is becoming extremely trite, but because no unique marketing message supports the image.
It seems like marketing communications messages are now being developed around what stock photos are available. Get a shiny happy person photo now, and retrofit a marketing message later. Sound familiar? Stock photos are a necessary evil in the design world, for sure. They allow us to expedite projects at an all-time quick pace while keeping overall project costs down. It's just that when you attempt to develop communications by working the process in reverse, it usually doesn't work. And when a marketing piece doesn't work, it's no more valuable than just plain artwork. Or wallpaper.
The "shiny happy people" approach pervaded 2005's work. But many more design fads come immediately to mind. Past yearly trends include 2003 – the "year of the pseudo-techno online designs," with small, unreadable type, gray on gray color schemes and corner-cut arrows pointing in every which way – and 2000-2004, the "years of the swoosh logo design," where everyone from banks to manufacturers to hospitals to restaurants inexplicably had some sort of eliptical element in their identity.
Whether you're a designer, copywriter, salesperson or just someone involved in marketing, always consider the business objective, any unique selling factors and how to creatively and succinctly deliver your marketing message first. Once you have a strategic perspective, worry about how the piece should look. Or whether shiny happy people should be a part of that look.
And put a little R.E.M. on the old CD player for some inspiration as you're considering your marketing communications. Just not that song!
Grant@TheWorxGroup.com
It seems like marketing communications messages are now being developed around what stock photos are available. Get a shiny happy person photo now, and retrofit a marketing message later. Sound familiar? Stock photos are a necessary evil in the design world, for sure. They allow us to expedite projects at an all-time quick pace while keeping overall project costs down. It's just that when you attempt to develop communications by working the process in reverse, it usually doesn't work. And when a marketing piece doesn't work, it's no more valuable than just plain artwork. Or wallpaper.
The "shiny happy people" approach pervaded 2005's work. But many more design fads come immediately to mind. Past yearly trends include 2003 – the "year of the pseudo-techno online designs," with small, unreadable type, gray on gray color schemes and corner-cut arrows pointing in every which way – and 2000-2004, the "years of the swoosh logo design," where everyone from banks to manufacturers to hospitals to restaurants inexplicably had some sort of eliptical element in their identity.
Whether you're a designer, copywriter, salesperson or just someone involved in marketing, always consider the business objective, any unique selling factors and how to creatively and succinctly deliver your marketing message first. Once you have a strategic perspective, worry about how the piece should look. Or whether shiny happy people should be a part of that look.
And put a little R.E.M. on the old CD player for some inspiration as you're considering your marketing communications. Just not that song!
Grant@TheWorxGroup.com
posted by The Worx Group at 12:27 PM
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