Elephant in the Room: COLLECTOR’S EDITION

Did you fall for it? Did it draw you in? What if I told you this post is a super­califragil­­istic limited-release collector’s edition? What if it began with a series of rhetorical questions rife with zesty adjectives and SEX?

Having sufficiently embarrassed myself, I think I’ve made my point. Few consumers are conscious of it, and fewer still would admit it, but flashy hooks and overused catchphrases still bear influence on us. Try as we might to rage against the machine, we’re all victim to its clutches.

Now that I have your attention, I have a more important point to make.

I’m compelled to address a growing malpractice among younger digital media creatives and advertisers: the inadvertent mixing of principles of graphic design with commercial art to ineffective and unaesthetic ends. At one time, these were very different crafts necessitating distinct approaches. Make no mistake – design is not advertising, and advertising is not design.

The first rule of advertising? If it seems obvious, it is. In other words, advertising aspires to make that which is obvious, more obvious.

The first rule of design? If it seems obvious, it isn’t. Design aspires to make that which is not obvious so obvious as to escape notice. The distinction persists across problems, methods and solutions alike.

Mull that over while you enjoy this collector’s edition post. ₪