Don’t Get Dressed in the Dark. You’ll Get Laughed At!

by Dionne Aiken

To designers, choosing the right typeface is a sacred ritual wherein the selection and application is a thoughtful and purposeful process.  Each typeface is uniquely designed and therefore elicits a different emotional response.  Typefaces (or fonts) can speak volumes about your company, brand and the message you are trying to convey:

Commentary from a BBC news article summarizes this best:

“Selecting a font is like getting dressed … Just as one chooses an outfit according to the occasion, one decides on a font according to the kind of message you are seeking to convey.”

That said, we begin to understand the animosity expressed in the beginning of this article “Do typefaces really matter?”  Was Oscar-winning Director James Cameron getting dressed in the dark when he chose the typeface “Papyrus” for the movie Avatar?

The general consensus is that for such a large budget movie, more time, effort and money could have been spent to select a more suitable typeface for the posters and subtitles http://aaronweyenberg.com/402/avatar-movie-font-is-papyrus.

Because Papyrus is so over-used consumers look at it as an afterthought, rather than a design choice. http://www.flickr.com/groups/40081197@N00/

A satirical letter from Papyrus to Avatar’s director James Cameron is a clear testament to contempt for the typeface.

There are also entire blogs dedicated to this anti-papyrus sentiment http://www.iheartpapyrus.com/2009/08/cmon-james-cameron-you-can-afford-to.html.

For Holy Cow Creative it was the inspiration behind their branding http://jesushatespapyrus.com/holy-cow/jesus-hates-papyrus/.

With more than 200,000 fonts to choose from, it almost seems silly to “default” to overused typefaces.  Don’t get caught getting dressed in the dark.  If you’re convinced, join me and take the pledge http://www.luredesigninc.com/pledge/.

Are These Questions “Pivitol” To Your Business?

by Dan Ward

I almost didn’t open the unsolicited mailer from Centage Corporation because I could tell it was a sales piece.

But when I saw through the envelope that the piece included “5 Questions Pivitol to Your Business,” I had to open it and learn more.

Alas, “does your software include spell-check” was not listed as one of the “pivitol” questions. Pity. It might have helped me answer Question No. 5, “Will it be worth the investment?”

Memo to Marketing

by Roger Pynn

Memo:  Marketing Dept.
From:  Balloon Pilot
Subj:  Hatred

I know you guys are all about promoting the brand, and in this tough economy I really appreciate the recent gigs piloting Leslie’s hot air balloon … but frankly this is getting a little scary. At first I thought all those people on Interstate Four near Longwood were just waving at me … but on closer inspection I don’t think those hand gestures are a “thumbs up.”

If you live in Central Florida you know that Interstate 4 is our most hated highway, having at one time inspired an I Hate I4 website and bumper stickers with the same message from folks known as I4 Hostages because the road is so over capacity and backs up at the slightest visual distraction.

It only takes a minor fender bender to bring the road to a complete halt any morning … so you can imagine how much westbound commuters appreciate coming over a rise near State Road 434 at Longwood to find that the reason they’ve been in stop-and-go traffic for 30 minutes is because the marketers at Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies have tethered the company hot air balloon right above the exit ramp.

Talk about the need for research.

Stick to What You Know

by Kim Taylor

There’s nothing like a recession to get people and businesses thinking about expanding service lines, doing more for less, and even taking on projects that maybe before seemed well outside their area of expertise.

I’ve observed many examples of this and, sadly, most end up producing unsatisfactory results.

So this morning when I received an e-mail from a company I know and love (and with whom I was previously employed), I gasped.

See, when I think of Crate & Barrel I think quality products for the home, an unmatched assortment of kitchen and culinary gadgets and glassware hand-selected from some of the best buyers in the business.

I do not, however, think of luggage.

While I applaud their efforts to expand their product offering, it seems like the equivalent of heading to McDonald’s for a slice of pizza.

Or perhaps looking to Curley & Pynn for your communications strategy and … financial advice.

A Different Take on the Deepwater Horizon

by Roger Pynn

Most of the photos and video we’ve seen of things related to the Gulf oil incident have been pretty scary the last two months, but Sandestin Beach & Golf Resort P.R. & Marketing Director Laurie Hobbs turned that around with beautiful photos of a wedding on her beachfront.

Laurie’s a longtime pro and it is no surprise coming from her, but this was a great reminder of the power of pictures.  There’s been so much misunderstanding about the impact of the Gulf incident on the beautiful coastline of Beaches of South Walton in Northwest Florida.

We regularly post updates at www.BSWUpdate.com, a website we’ve created to help the 15 communities of Beaches of South Walton keep the public informed with candid, factual reports on what is happening … which, by the way, has turned out to be – despite all the gloom and doom you hear – that “our beaches are open for enjoyment.”

Of course, when Laurie sent us pictures of this wedding, they immediately went up on BSWUpdate.com along with dozens of other stunning photos that come in every day from the 26 miles of beachfront there.

And when Steve Hartman of CBS News showed up to tape the occasion for “Assignment: America,” it was icing on the wedding cake … for Laurie, for Sandestin, for Beaches of South Walton and, I’m sure for Krista Davis and Blake Monroe, the happy couple who stayed informed and held on to their dream of a beachside wedding.