Mohr Creative Info: Thoughts on the diciplines of communication.

When we create something,
will it be: noticed? relevant?
understood? believed?
ownable? remembered? acted upon?

The very idea of a graphics standard document has its inherent risks. Sometimes rules can become restrictions. They hamstring rather than free the creative process.There are however a few tools we can apply to keep us focused in our creativity, and help us and our clients in evaluating the finished product. They keeps us from making beautycontest decisions. They belong here because “graphic standards” is not just about picture technique, and layout, but about thinking the bigger picture. Let us re-state and expound. When we create something...

Will it be noticed?
This is probably the easiest part, because we have already, as infants, learned the art of calling attention to ourselves. In the business of communications, we do it by being loud (audibly and/or visually) by being large in size, by being red when every body else is green, by being different, by standing out in the crowd where everyone else is just standing. Being noticed is Apple doing an eight page introduction on white background and
stunning product photography. It’s IBM doing Charlie Chaplin. It’s Nike’s simplicity. It’s about being shocking, teasing, surprising, entertaining,
breaking the conventions and just being everything that the manifesto has inspired us to be. It is often very simple -- but never very easy.

However... Is it relevant? This is often the most ignored question, and by far the most important. We often get so carried away with new techniques, new tricks in the software updates, fashions and fads that we are seduced into forgetting the discipline of relevance. Standing up in a packed theater and yelling: “Fire”! is not only not covered by the first amendment, but as much as it does get your attention, it does very little for the play you’re watching. If it is not only not helping us, but worse, getting in the way, it stops being “no good” and enters the realm of “really bad”. In other words, if it does not support the point being made, it’s irrelevant. So, things happens for a reason. When we canted the pictures and headlines in the CompuBank campaign by 10°, (see illustration on right, and ads on the "advertising" page) it neither obscured the readability of the headline nor affected the emotional content of the photograph. Rather, the impact of the total design was enhanced by unconventional placement -- thus accomplishing part one of our criteria (being noticed) without violating part two (relevance).

Will it be understood?
We are about storytelling. Sometimes we tease the reader and lead him along for a final surprise. At other times, we’re just blunt. Sometimes the picture carries the day. Sometimes the telling moment will by carried by an element of the supporting cast. But even as all the parts and players work together for a whole communication, they also work in layers. Each layer works as a take-away communication. It is like a wedding cake. You see the wedding cake. You understand right away that it’s a wedding cake. But not until you receive a slice do you get to know the details about it. You discover that it has several layers: cake, fruit, cake, cream, cake, icing -- and often those weird little pink sugar-butter roses. When you take a bite, you viscerally respond to the taste of each layer and begin a cognitive process of experiential give and take. Does this cake taste the same or different than other cakes you’ve eaten? Is it fresh or is the cream a little stale? Are the roses sweeter than the rest? Do you like it or not? When it comes to advertising, the reader must understand the core message at a quick glance -- even if he/she's not inclined to get involved with the details. And yet, the details had better be there, because, as Paul Harvey says, there’s always “the rest of the story” -- and that’s often the gripping part. Also, there had better be a phone number or a web address to connect with you for even more details (more about that later). Is the language written in the vernacular of the reader? Is the design and type font readable? (After all, that is the entire point of typography). Is it of a size and leading that makes it easily accessible? (Older people do not read 6 point Neue Helvetica Ultrafine with the same ease as a twenty-year old). Is the text long-winded and self-serving, or does it impart relevant information and motivate the reader to action? Is it obscured by graphic elements that only an art director appreciates?

Is it believable? Ok, now you’ve got my attention, I understand what you’re telling me, but do I believe you? Rule of thumb: If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. People are skeptical and they will not be bamboozled. They will listen to you guardedly at first and only over time come to trust you. No tricks please, no bait and switch, no bull. David Ogilvy had it right when he said: “The consumer isn’t a fool. She’s your wife.” So any promise with too many flea-size-type disclaimers at the bottom, works against the advertiser. Once you lose the reader’s trust, it is almost impossible to get it back. I am more likely to believe your message if I have a trusting image of your brand already -- an image that is consistently and positively re-inforced in every piece of communications you direct my way. All disciplines must work together here: Public relations, investor relations, customer service representatives, mailings, the website, the advertising -- the product offering itself. It is vital to be brand supportive in all facets of contact with the customer.

Is it ownable? The easiest way to lose control of an idea is to make it so broad and general that it can be imitated and duplicated by competitors. We must make every effort to make sure they can’t.
We believe our brazen positioning as the “Anti-Establishment Bank” is unique and ownable. Ownership derives from a number of factors: Compelling story (Apple’s “The computer for the rest of us”), originality in presentation (Marlboro’s cowboys) , consistency in tonality (Coca Cola), amount of exposure (Budweiser). The worn out shoes, the bamboo cane and the bowler hat became the icon (and so the property) of
Charlie Chaplin -- only after there was a Charlie Chaplin. “Mickey” is today defacto identical with Walt Disney (even though there were many other mouse/bear/dog-like characters created at the same time) through vigorous and at times un-mouse-like protection of what Disney realized early on was a hot (and marketable) property. The Nike swish becomes more ownable each time it is featured in an ad, on a shirt or hat, in advertising, product-placement or sport-sponsored event. (And pity the
fool who would try to steal it). “Have you driven a Ford lately?” cannot conceivably be used by General Motors. The more vigorously and pre-emptively you stake out your territory, the more likely it will remain yours. So, more power to consistency -- but let’s be careful to distinguish between consistency of attitude and tonality rather than sameness of lay-out. We might take our cue from IBM. They have had as many as three very different looking campaigns running at the same time aimed at very different audiences. And yet, when you line them up side by side, you notice that all hew to a core attitude and all successfully support the essence of the IBM brand. Alas, ownership of anything -- a car, a necklace, a brand position -- requires a significant monetary investment. Show often, spend money.

Is it memorable?
If we ruthlessly hold ourselves up to these demanding criteria, CompuBank will be remembered, talked about, envied and best of all -- successful. We all love a good story. The ones we remember are the ones that entertain us; ones we understand so well that we can re-tell them to others.

Bottom line...
Will it be acted upon?
“Ask for the order” says Xerox sales training program, one of the better
in the world of business. Ask for some action. Fill in a card. Call an 800 number. Drive somewhere to get a special deal. Tell a friend. Bring in this coupon. Never make it hard for someone who listened, understood and believed to get in touch with us. List phone numbers, addresses, websites plain for all to see without the aid of a magnifying glass.

If you have read this far, you are obviously interested in quality work and we would like to hear from you at: info@mohrcreative.com


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	Thoughts on the diciplines of communication. Written for a presentation to Compubank, an online banking company, but representing the underpinning of any job we undertake. When we create something, will it be: noticed? relevant? understood? believed? ownable? remembered? acted upon? The very idea of a graphics standard document has its inherent risks. Sometimes rules can become restrictions. They hamstring rather than free the creative process.There are however a few tools we can apply to keep us focused in our creativity, and help us and our clients in evaluating the finished product. They keeps us from making beautycontest decisions. They belong here because “graphic standards” is not just about picture technique, and layout, but about thinking the bigger picture. Let us re-state and expound. When we create something... Will it be noticed? This is probably the easiest part, because we have already, as infants, learned the art of calling attention to ourselves. In the business of communications, we do it by being loud (audibly and/or visually) by being large in size, by being red when every body else is green, by being different, by standing out in the crowd where everyone else is just standing. Being noticed is Apple doing an eight page introduction on white background and stunning product photography. It’s IBM doing Charlie Chaplin. It’s Nike’s simplicity. It’s about being shocking, teasing, surprising, entertaining, breaking the conventions and just being everything that the manifesto has inspired us to be. It is often very simple -- but never very easy. However... Is it relevant? This is often the most ignored question, and by far the most important. We often get so carried away with new techniques, new tricks in the software updates, fashions and fads that we are seduced into forgetting the discipline of relevance. Standing up in a packed theater and yelling: “Fire”! is not only not covered by the first amendment, but as much as it does get your attention, it does very little for the play you’re watching. If it is not only not helping us, but worse, getting in the way, it stops being “no good” and enters the realm of “really bad”. In other words, if it does not support the point being made, it’s irrelevant. So, things happens for a reason. When we canted the pictures and headlines in the CompuBank campaign by 10°, (see illustration on right, and ads on the "advertising" page) it neither obscured the readability of the headline nor affected the emotional content of the photograph. Rather, the impact of the total design was enhanced by unconventional placement -- thus accomplishing part one of our criteria (being noticed) without violating part two (relevance). Will it be understood? We are about storytelling. Sometimes we tease the reader and lead him along for a final surprise. At other times, we’re just blunt. Sometimes the picture carries the day. Sometimes the telling moment will by carried by an element of the supporting cast. But even as all the parts and players work together for a whole communication, they also work in layers. Each layer works as a take-away communication. It is like a wedding cake. You see the wedding cake. You understand right away that it’s a wedding cake. But not until you receive a slice do you get to know the details about it. You discover that it has several layers: cake, fruit, cake, cream, cake, icing -- and often those weird little pink sugar-butter roses. When you take a bite, you viscerally respond to the taste of each layer and begin a cognitive process of experiential give and take. Does this cake taste the same or different than other cakes you’ve eaten? Is it fresh or is the cream a little stale? Are the roses sweeter than the rest? Do you like it or not? When it comes to advertising, the reader must understand the core message at a quick glance -- even if he/she's not inclined to get involved with the details. And yet, the details had better be there, because, as Paul Harvey says, there’s always “the rest of the story” -- and that’s often the gripping part. Also, there had better be a phone number or a web address to connect with you for even more details (more about that later). Is the language written in the vernacular of the reader? Is the design and type font readable? (After all, that is the entire point of typography). Is it of a size and leading that makes it easily accessible? (Older people do not read 6 point Neue Helvetica Ultrafine with the same ease as a twenty-year old). Is the text long-winded and self-serving, or does it impart relevant information and motivate the reader to action? Is it obscured by graphic elements that only an art director appreciates? Is it believable? Ok, now you’ve got my attention, I understand what you’re telling me, but do I believe you? Rule of thumb: If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is. People are skeptical and they will not be bamboozled. They will listen to you guardedly at first and only over time come to trust you. No tricks please, no bait and switch, no bull. David Ogilvy had it right when he said: “The consumer isn’t a fool. She’s your wife.” So any promise with too many flea-size-type disclaimers at the bottom, works against the advertiser. Once you lose the reader’s trust, it is almost impossible to get it back. I am more likely to believe your message if I have a trusting image of your brand already -- an image that is consistently and positively re-inforced in every piece of communications you direct my way. All disciplines must work together here: Public relations, investor relations, customer service representatives, mailings, the website, the advertising -- the product offering itself. It is vital to be brand supportive in all facets of contact with the customer. Is it ownable? The easiest way to lose control of an idea is to make it so broad and general that it can be imitated and duplicated by competitors. We must make every effort to make sure they can’t. We believe our brazen positioning as the “Anti-Establishment Bank” is unique and ownable. Ownership derives from a number of factors: Compelling story (Apple’s “The computer for the rest of us”), originality in presentation (Marlboro’s cowboys) , consistency in tonality (Coca Cola), amount of exposure (Budweiser). The worn out shoes, the bamboo cane and the bowler hat became the icon (and so the property) of Charlie Chaplin -- only after there was a Charlie Chaplin. “Mickey” is today defacto identical with Walt Disney (even though there were many other mouse/bear/dog-like characters created at the same time) through vigorous and at times un-mouse-like protection of what Disney realized early on was a hot (and marketable) property. The Nike swish becomes more ownable each time it is featured in an ad, on a shirt or hat, in advertising, product-placement or sport-sponsored event. (And pity the fool who would try to steal it). “Have you driven a Ford lately?” cannot conceivably be used by General Motors. The more vigorously and pre-emptively you stake out your territory, the more likely it will remain yours. So, more power to consistency -- but let’s be careful to distinguish between consistency of attitude and tonality rather than sameness of lay-out. We might take our cue from IBM. They have had as many as three very different looking campaigns running at the same time aimed at very different audiences. And yet, when you line them up side by side, you notice that all hew to a core attitude and all successfully support the essence of the IBM brand. Alas, ownership of anything -- a car, a necklace, a brand position -- requires a significant monetary investment. Show often, spend money. Is it memorable? If we ruthlessly hold ourselves up to these demanding criteria, CompuBank will be remembered, talked about, envied and best of all -- successful. We all love a good story. The ones we remember are the ones that entertain us; ones we understand so well that we can re-tell them to others. Bottom line... Will it be acted upon? “Ask for the order” says Xerox sales training program, one of the better in the world of business. Ask for some action. Fill in a card. Call an 800 number. Drive somewhere to get a special deal. Tell a friend. Bring in this coupon. Never make it hard for someone who listened, understood and believed to get in touch with us. List phone numbers, addresses, websites plain for all to see without the aid of a magnifying glass. If you have read this far, you are obviously interested in quality work and we would like to hear from you at: info@mohrcreative.com					MCG MOHR CREATIVE GROUP 59 BRAMBLEBUSH RD CROTON ON HUDSON, NY 10520 914 827 9001 INFO@MOHRCREATIVE.COM

When we create something, will it be: noticed? relevant? understood? believed? ownable? remembered? acted upon?

When we create something,
will it be: noticed? relevant?
understood? believed?
ownable? remembered? acted upon?