12
Illustration
Lights, camera, actions!
—Joey Reiman, on activating purpose
Illustration is how you bring your Master Idea to life for all those who will live it. “We shall overcome” is an incredibly powerful Master Idea. It became tangible and real for the world when houses of worship opened their doors with the message for people to open their hearts.
For many who could not read, stained glass windows told a grand story of purpose. And song invited you to be a verse in that story. This illustration of a Master Idea would change the way we live and think, forever. Illustration amplifies and communicates the Master Idea through carefully selected words, pictures, and music that astonish.
Truth in Advertising
When Nike said “Just Do It,” it gave voice to the belief that humans have no limits—at least in the realm of sports.
Disney was founded on the Master Idea that it is possible to make dreams come true, articulated by Jiminy Cricket’s “When you wish upon a star, it makes no difference who you are.”1
TV spoke to the heart of Gen X when it put forth the notion that free expression is a human right and proclaimed it with the battle cry, “I Want My MTV!”
Figure 12.1 shows a few examples of Master Ideas and the purposeful articulations they inspired.
Apple’s tagline that captures their ...
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