Do you look cheesy, dull, and out of touch?
I was thumbing through the local rag this weekend, enjoying random stuff like “Police Log” and tips on keeping my tires from early winter wear, when I came across an ad for a local computer store.
They’ve got a great holiday sale going. They also do helpful stuff like data restores, removing shareware, and network setups. Cool.
Unfortunately, the ad looks cheesier than a side dish in a highway diner. I actually had to check my calendar because I thought I had slipped through a wormhole on my way out of the bathroom and landed in 1993.
Now, according to the Design Rules of the Universe, blue and yellow compliment each other. True enough, but it depends on how you use them. In this case, they don’t compliment so much as argue. The ad also displays two supremely ancient clip-art computers. There’s also a clip-art cartoon elf at the top and some clip-art Christmas lights as a border, but we’ll leave them out of this for now.
Let’s say you have a computer company. Let’s assume that you would like people to think that, being an expert in computers, you are up-to-date with all the latest trends in computing. For example, people might want to get the impression that you’ve stopped using floppy disks.
For me, seeing a beige cartoon computer with a floppy slot says, “I still use DOS commands.”
As a person who needs new computers from time to time, I want the future. I want to see sleekness, shiny black and silver things with impossibly thin profiles. I want to feel like if I showed up at the store I would be awed by the technology. I want Promethius working behind the counter, possessing the kind of computer knowledge I can’t even guess at.
Instead, the impression I get from this particular ad is that my grandfather sells calculators.
I’m a smart dude. I can read past the terrible clip art and the ugly choice of colors (by the way, red and green are missing from this holiday ad). I can see in plain Helvetica that they remove shareware and perform system backups. I notice they sell desktops and laptops at “very competitive prices.”
I can read it, but I don’t feel it. You feel me?
Now, I’m betting there are people in my area who only see “Computer Store Holiday Sale” and not “Computer Store Holiday Sale circa 1993.” Some people in this area are not going to care. Those people are this guy’s “Right People,” his niche. So what’s the problem?
The problem is that those people are using old technology and don’t really know what’s the latest and greatest. Those people will be dead by the time Windows 8 is released and will no longer be customers anyway. His niche has a limited life span.
Granted, we’re talking about the world of technology. Let’s extrapolate this idea to coffee.
Coffee shops do not have to keep up with the latest brewing methods; the world has pretty much exploited all the best ways of making java. However, if you have a coffee shop and post an ad with a picture of one of those highway diner coffee carafes, you might not pull in the hipsters who will spend $6.00 on a soy latte. Grandma and Grandpa Walton will be there for certain. Your $14,000 espresso machine will gather dust.
It’s not enough to say “Free wi-fi” with a smiley, bug-eyed, clip-art cartoon radio tower. You have to show the hipsters they’re going to the right place by using the kind of design that speaks to their kind. That might mean zero clip art. Zero art, maybe.
How are you supposed to know?
You’re a entrepreneur and you’re insanely busy just trying to get people in the door. How are you supposed to keep track of all the design trends to make sure your ads and marketing materials are attracting the right people? How can one entrepreneur stay on top of all aspects of design to avoid looking like they’re still partying with that symbol guy in 1999?
You can’t. It’s not your job. Your job is to help your clients and customers with that magic thing you do. You know, that thing you’re best at? Remember? Computers? Coffee?
You probably hire someone to handle your bookkeeping, payroll, and tax prep, so why not be consistent and delegate the conceptual branding and design to someone who can do it like magic?
Hire someone to do this for you. Pay them well. You will be rewarded with the right people coming in and calling you up.
Or don’t – because this is just a bunch of hype to sell you on design.
It’s probably the economy that’s killing your business.
I was thumbing through a local rag this weekend, enjoying random stuff like “Police Log” and tips on keeping my tires from early winter wear, when I came across an ad for a local computer store.
So I see they’ve got a holiday computer sale going. They also do helpful stuff like data restores, removing shareware, and network setups. Cool.
There’s nothing wrong with the information in this ad. The text layout isn’t bad (nice spacing, I guess).
It’s the art that’s killing it.
Put down the clip art and no one gets hurt.
Let’s say you have a computer company.
Let’s assume that you would like people to think that you’re an expert in computers and up-to-date with all the latest trends in computing. For example, people might want to get the impression that you’ve stopped using floppy disks for storage.
A beige cartoon computer with a floppy slot says, “I still use DOS commands.”
Now, I know that particular graphic is about trade-ins. My human brain gets this, but my monkey brain sees “behind the times.” It’s not something I can get around without a lot of consideration. Except that ads aren’t about careful consideration. They’re about sucking you in without thinking.
As a person who needs new computers from time to time, I want the future. I want to see sleekness, I want shiny black and silver things with impossibly thin profiles. I want to feel like if I showed up at the store I would be awed by the unimaginable technology on display. I want Promethius working behind the counter, possessing the kind of computer knowledge I can’t even guess at.
I’m a smart dude. I can read past the terrible clip art and the ugly choice of colors (by the way, red and green are completely missing from this holiday ad). I can see in plain Helvetica that they remove shareware and perform system backups. I notice they sell desktops and laptops at “very competitive prices.”
I can read it, but I don’t feel it. You feel me?
So maybe most people can’t articulate why this ad design is dullsville, but they are feeling it. And they’re thinking, “Why would I take a chance on this little guy when Best Buy is right up the road?”
Now check this out: http://macforce.com
These people know computers. I can feel it. “Screw Best Buy and the Apple Store,” my monkey brain says, “if I go there I will feel like a heroin addict skiing down crack mountain. Where are my car keys?”
So how are you supposed to know what’s right and what’s wrong?
You’re an entrepreneur and you’re insanely busy just trying to get people in the door. How are you supposed to keep track of all the design trends to make sure your ads and marketing materials are attracting the right people? How can one entrepreneur stay on top of all aspects of design to avoid looking like they’re still partying with that symbol guy in 1999?
You can’t. It’s not your job. Your job is to help your clients and customers with that magic thing you do. You know, that thing you’re best at? Remember? Computers? Coffee?
You probably hire someone to handle your bookkeeping, payroll, and tax prep, so why not be consistent and delegate the conceptual branding and design to someone who can do it like magic?
Hire someone to worry about this for you. You will be rewarded with the right people coming in and calling you up.
Hmmm. I wonder if MacForce achieved local awesomeness by skimping on branding and design?
[...] Do You Look Cheesy, Dull, And Out Of Touch? and My Designer Sucks! Posts by the infamous Sparky Firepants. The first is an excellent 1-2-3 for why people need designers; the second is a cringe-worthy 1-2-3 why people might hate designers. Excellent information in both. [...]