Comments on: The danger of getting too creative with type http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type Dean Rieck on Copywriting & Direct Marketing Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:56:46 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: jerry lehman http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/comment-page-1#comment-37046 jerry lehman Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:26:35 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/2008/01/08/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/#comment-37046 "Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe." - "According to a researcher (sic) at Cambridge University, it doesn't matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be at the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself but the word as a whole." “Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.”
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“According to a researcher (sic) at Cambridge University, it doesn’t matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be at the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it without problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself but the word as a whole.”

]]> By: Dean Rieck http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/comment-page-1#comment-17558 Dean Rieck Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:05:26 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/2008/01/08/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/#comment-17558 Marcello: Problem is, people do NOT use their brain. It's not a matter of dumbing down. It's a matter of making type instantly understandable. When you have advertising all around you, you shouldn't set up visual road blocks to put your ad at a disadvantage. Besides, legibility tests prove that people don't read letters, they read entire words, so anything that destroys the natural shape of the word hurts legibility. This is design 101. Marcello: Problem is, people do NOT use their brain. It’s not a matter of dumbing down. It’s a matter of making type instantly understandable. When you have advertising all around you, you shouldn’t set up visual road blocks to put your ad at a disadvantage.

Besides, legibility tests prove that people don’t read letters, they read entire words, so anything that destroys the natural shape of the word hurts legibility. This is design 101.

]]> By: Marcello http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/comment-page-1#comment-17557 Marcello Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:47:40 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/2008/01/08/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/#comment-17557 I have to agree with Arun. This is not an ad, this is a sign and the simple content on the sign allows the creative to take typographic risks. You could switch a letter or two around and your brain will still register sale. And the fact that there's "up to 40% Off" underneath the scrambled text, its self explanatory. Keep in mind people this is in a display case outside a store! Use your brain stop dumbing down things for people. I have to agree with Arun. This is not an ad, this is a sign and the simple content on the sign allows the creative to take typographic risks. You could switch a letter or two around and your brain will still register sale. And the fact that there’s “up to 40% Off” underneath the scrambled text, its self explanatory. Keep in mind people this is in a display case outside a store! Use your brain stop dumbing down things for people.

]]> By: Paintworkz Web Design http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/comment-page-1#comment-1003 Paintworkz Web Design Tue, 29 Apr 2008 12:43:13 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/2008/01/08/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/#comment-1003 The first ad is truly a mess. rather than being catchy which the designer might have expected it to be it has spoiled the piece itself. The first ad is truly a mess. rather than being catchy which the designer might have expected it to be it has spoiled the piece itself.

]]> By: Ted Grigg http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/comment-page-1#comment-273 Ted Grigg Tue, 15 Jan 2008 01:32:47 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/2008/01/08/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/#comment-273 I agree with you Dean. Inspiring curiosity about the advertisement itself only serves to detract from the message. What's worse is that such advertisements actually make people skip it altogether. They have better things to do with their busy lives than to figure out puzzles. It is important to remember that the average person must filter over 3,000 such messages every day to find something pertinent to their needs. Make the product the star, not the advertisement itself. What a total waste of money. I agree with you Dean. Inspiring curiosity about the advertisement itself only serves to detract from the message.

What’s worse is that such advertisements actually make people skip it altogether. They have better things to do with their busy lives than to figure out puzzles. It is important to remember that the average person must filter over 3,000 such messages every day to find something pertinent to their needs.

Make the product the star, not the advertisement itself. What a total waste of money.

]]> By: Chad http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/comment-page-1#comment-256 Chad Wed, 09 Jan 2008 07:36:52 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/2008/01/08/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/#comment-256 That first ad is truly horrible. I agree with the idea that ads should be direct, to the point, yet catchy. The first ad is none of the above. That first ad is truly horrible. I agree with the idea that ads should be direct, to the point, yet catchy.

The first ad is none of the above.

]]> By: Dean Rieck http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/comment-page-1#comment-255 Dean Rieck Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:16:23 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/2008/01/08/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/#comment-255 Respectfully, I could not disagree more. Ads should NEVER be puzzles. Ads are meant to sell things. The harder you make it for people to understand the point, the less you sell. I'd like to see how clever you'd be if you had a million dollars of your own money riding on an ad. Respectfully, I could not disagree more.

Ads should NEVER be puzzles. Ads are meant to sell things. The harder you make it for people to understand the point, the less you sell.

I’d like to see how clever you’d be if you had a million dollars of your own money riding on an ad.

]]> By: Arun http://www.directcreative.com/blog/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/comment-page-1#comment-254 Arun Tue, 08 Jan 2008 19:00:37 +0000 http://www.directcreative.com/blog/2008/01/08/the-danger-of-getting-too-creative-with-type/#comment-254 "…But it takes a second for your brain to make it out, doesn’t it?..." That’s the point. All good advertisements are small puzzles. Take any of the award winning ads; they engage the reader into figuring out what the ads really says. Normally you cannot say it in the first look. Typical twists are employing metaphors, abstraction or cause-&-effect types. You can see the same thing in news headlines. Example: 1) Hillary poll figures are going down 2) Down’Hill’ The employment of a pun (twist) in the second headline will make people interested in it (click it online) more than the normal headline. Normally these types of ads have high recollection value than direct ads. Are they effective? That depends on how the ad is constructed with a twist. If the twist is too difficult to untangle, then the ad is a wasted one. The current sale ad in question can be easily figured out and conveys the message. It serves its purpose. “…But it takes a second for your brain to make it out, doesn’t it?…”

That’s the point. All good advertisements are small puzzles. Take any of the award winning ads; they engage the reader into figuring out what the ads really says. Normally you cannot say it in the first look. Typical twists are employing metaphors, abstraction or cause-&-effect types.

You can see the same thing in news headlines.
Example:
1) Hillary poll figures are going down
2) Down’Hill’

The employment of a pun (twist) in the second headline will make people interested in it (click it online) more than the normal headline.

Normally these types of ads have high recollection value than direct ads.
Are they effective? That depends on how the ad is constructed with a twist. If the twist is too difficult to untangle, then the ad is a wasted one.

The current sale ad in question can be easily figured out and conveys the message. It serves its purpose.

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