Wit It and Quit It

I’ve had stints in just about every role in the marketing field (except developer), which gives me an appreciation for how difficult it all is––especially design. I respect every aspect of the field, and I appreciate those moments when I allow people to show me their version of ‘new’.

That said, it impresses me even more when people manage the most clever deliverables without a budget. (I compare it to liking a one-color or two-color print project rather than a full color one) That’s when the most important tool at your is the imagination. That’s when wit is required to make an impact.

I’m as blown away with what thousands of dollars worth of graphics can do, don’t get me wrong. Holographs? Heck yes, I’d do one of Tupac too. Not kidding. But it’s when designers are forced to work within really tight constraints to push out something native that you end up with the campaign that will resonate.

So naturally, it only serves to irritate when agencies push out anything that shows how spoiled they are. Have $20K to spend on a photo shoot? Let’s hashtag it ‘Framily’! Where’s the concept? What’s supposed to grab me? The fact that I now align Sprint customers with whatever bracket it is that’s worse than Walmart isn’t a good thing. They say bad press is good press and I disagree. If it makes you want to vomit on contact, it’s not good press.

Bottom line, I’d rather put out a logo that says ‘T-shirt’ than anything out of an expensive cookie cutter. If you can only choose between using your brain and using your wallet, pick your brain. Always.

Annie Liao Jones – Principal, Rock Candy Media