Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This

Figure 6.1 Nothing to add here. Nothing to take away. It's perfect.

6The Virtues of SimplicityOr, Why It's Hard to Pound in a Nail Sideways

If you take away one thing from this book, let it be the advice in this section. Simpler is almost always better.

Maurice Saatchi, of London's M&C Saatchi, on simplicity: “Simplicity is all. Simple logic, simple arguments, simple visual images. If you can't reduce your argument to a few crisp words and phrases, there's something wrong with your argument.”

Make Sure the Fuse on Your Idea Isn't Too Short or Too Long

Here's the thing: The customer has to get your ad instantly, or close to instantly. I sometimes refer to this as the Speed of the Get. For my money, a quick-get is the first and the most important thing an idea needs to have. A quick-get matters more than even the creativity of the piece. Heresy, I know, but it's the truth.

On the other hand, you don't want your idea to be too quick of a get. If your idea doesn't have enough substance to it, it may well be an instant read but will likely have little effect on the viewer. Sort of like a STOP sign; obviously an instant read but not likely something I'm gonna post on my Facebook. But few students err on the too-fast end of the continuum; most ideas that fail are too slow.

In an effort to create an intriguing idea that requires a little bit of the viewer—which overall is a good thing—students ...