Design or Copy - which would you choose.

So recently my business partner in our sister company Primal Creative and I had a recent discussion about what's the most important aspect of advertising/marketing. Is it the design or the copy that goes along with that? Check out the video above.

Of course most of you knowing me are probably guessing that I'm coming down on the design side - which I guess is pretty true. I do think design in a visual industry is the initial introduction to the viewer and for that reason alone becomes more important. That's where it stops for me. I think the copy needs to carry us through to really get your message across. Mainly though I want to emphasize that what's most important is concept. Without a real concept and a real plan it doesn't much matter if copy leads the way or design leads the way. My business partner, Rodney, argues that design can improve copy, but copy does little to improve design. True or not, it's a harsh statement for our current environment.

In today's world of 140 characters is design and concept going to trend to be more important or less? I hate to think we are going to be raising a bunch of rugrats that will have no aesthetic ability. Will this next generation suckle at the teet of technology only caring what their peers think and hollering at each other through cyberspace? Or will this next generation rebel and send the Millennial generation packing with their tweets and status updates? 

Hmmm - I know we like to think that technology only improves the world, but think about the history of communication. Think how far we've come from drawing images on the walls of caves. At what point is just emanating information not considered communication. Let us all remember that communication is a 2 way street and frankly whether it's done with copy or design it makes little difference if no one wants to listen.

What to Doodle

This last year I've been sitting on the board of the American Advertising Federation. Overall it's been a great experience and personally I have loved the stuff I've poured myself into, but there is one small thing I can't stand. What's that you ask - well it's the 2 hours that we meet every month to discuss the particulars. I know it's a necessary evil, but for me, a creative person, it's like driving a nail slowly into my skull. There is one thing that keeps me from going nuts and that's doodling. I know everyone probably thinks I'm ignoring the goings on and not paying any attention at all, but the reality is that couldn't be further from the truth. There have been many studies done that show doodlers, whether in a meeting or on the phone, are actually taking in more information then people that don't doodle.

If you aren't a doodler I know it's hard to believe, but what the studies show is I'm concentrating on what is being said and in a subconscious way by doodling my mind is occupying that other part of me that I guess doesn't really want to be there. The doodling uses a low functioning part of your brain - thus the high functioning part is left to listen and take in information. It's not like I'm texting or checking my email like so many other people I see - that takes concentration. The sad part playing with your phone doing a meeting has become acceptable. All I ask is the next time you see someone doodling don't just assume we are ignoring you - the truth is in today's world we may be the only ones truly listening.

What's in a Price

I often talk with clients about pricing. Obviously, it's one of the most important things there is to do before starting a project. Yeah I have the clients that I've worked with for so long they know I'm fair in the way I charge and have no worries about my pricing. Lately though, I've been running across a lot of potential clients that want comprehensive pricing - I applaud that. I don't know if I would want to work with a client that doesn't want to at least know what a project would cost up front. But in the end I want to say don't just make a decision on pricing. I've got more then one client that went with the cheaper firm and after they paid them they hired me to do the job right.

Here's the thing - all prices aren't created equal. This applies to almost everything in life. Yeah you could go with the lowest price, but you have to ask yourself are you confident with that firms work, are you confident that they are going to turn your project around in a fair time frame and most importantly are they going to make those 7 rounds of changes expediently? I've heard of clients that end up waiting 4-5 days to get simple text revisions made.

I'm not the cheapest place to get design done, but I'm also not nearly as expensive as an ad agency. My overhead is low and my quality of work is stellar. I pride myself on responding to my clients and making sure the are getting the best product for their business. Maybe that's why I have many client relationships that are well over a decade old.
I love what I do, but I hate to see people pay a lot of money for really bad work. Next time you are looking to hire a design firm take a good look at their work, talk with the actual people you'll be dealing with and most importantly make sure they really want to build a relationship with you. Believe it or not there are a lot of firms that are just trying to pay this months bills and aren't thinking at all about the future.