I’m shallow. I realized it yesterday after seeing a pretty, smiling, curvy lass in a clothing ad. It stopped me dead. I wondered to myself whether I would have stopped and read the ad had the model been plain. The answer was no, ergo shallow. But later after being directed to a retail site selling hand bags, I was once again smitten. Smitten by a picture of bags: colorful, beautifully designed, magnetic. Apple profits just rose by 15% thanks to the iPhone. See any commonalities? I do. Beauty, art and design.
What art directors know and many marketing people don’t, is that art and design sell. Make something pretty, design it brilliantly, don’t clutter it up, and people will pay attention. One of the problems with advertising and marketing today is the loss of art. I love strategy – the science of marketing – but without art marketing is lost.
Today, the day after Earth Day, I’d like to suggest we all pay thanks to great art directors: the creators of style, design and visual beauty. As we move farther into the digital age let’s not forget the art director, without whom marketing becomes just a bunch of digits (1s and 0s and fingers). Still shallow? Yeah, probably. Peace!