Day 19 of my 28-Day Creative Challenge.

Check out all the “white space” this ad has. What a concept — and I mean that both literally and figuratively. It uses only 23 well-chosen words in both headline and body copy, a golfing photo that uses psychology to appeal to our hedonistic nature (that’s worth at least a thousand words, right?), and a powerful product shot. Toss in the two logos and a wee bit of descriptive copy that includes price, and we have a strong, clean ad. And that’s how it’s done folks!

This ad has certainly found a home in my creative morgue files as a reminder to continue to fight for “white space.” If you’d like to participate in my 28-Day Creative Challenge, please send me links to download or printed samples of creative work that you find inspiring. If it inspires me too, I’ll feature it here along with a link to your blog or website. Or you could just post a comment.

I found this ad from 2008 filed under “type treatments” and will be keeping it but throwing out everything else in that old folder. Why am I keeping this one? The headline is a great example of how to take a strong message and make it even stronger. To a reader quickly glancing at the headline they read “learn.” and “lead.” and that gets directly to the point in just two words doesn’t it? Be sure to select the correct words that emphasize your point when using this technique.

Does anyone else find the writing behind the headline distracting or is it just me?

Join me in my 28-Day Creative Challenge. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my selections or if you can you provide a better example. I’d love to hear from you!

I love simplicity, don’t you? That’s why I’ve selected this piece for Day 8 of my 28-Day Creative Challenge. It seems to be a fairly simple concept but ask any designer or copywriter — it’s not easy to be simple.

One of the most common advertising mistakes made today is too much copy/text. For advertising to be effective, you must use as few words as possible in both print and web. This creative 6-panel piece for a NE Ohio hospital system does just that.

Be part of my 28-Day Creative Challenge by sending me links to download or printed samples of creative work that you find inspiring. If it inspires me too I’ll feature it here along with a link to your blog or website.

Have a great weekend!

You may have heard of Toastmasters International and wondered what it was. You might have read that it’s an organization that helps you become better at public speaking. Or, maybe you’re like my creative friend Daryl who writes copy for Grabowski & Co., an award-winning marketing communications firm. I can always count on his whimsical comments about burnt toast and jelly in response to my Facebook posts about Toastmasters — he cracks me up.

As a Toastmasters Club member you’ll not only learn to speak in front of a group but also about listening, motivation, planning, building confidence and leadership. I’ve been a member of Medina Toastmasters Club 941 for four years. As a new member I once watched a visitor at her first meeting, shy, fearful, and even afraid to make eye contact just walking through the door and I knew she would never be back. Imagine my surprise when she became a member and within a year blossomed into a confident, well-spoken leader. This happens countless times at Toastmasters clubs around the world.

I would like to recommend Toastmasters to everyone of course, but especially to those who have lost jobs to this economy. Losing a job can be a demoralizing, confidence shattering experience. It’s a negative, life altering event that Toastmasters can help to turn around. If you know someone who has lost their job, please encourage them to join Toastmasters. As a Toastmasters member they’ll learn to think quickly on their feet and be able to ace even the toughest of job interviews with confidence.

If you’ve ever worked in an advertising department chances are that you are familiar with the phrase “Cheap, fast, or good — pick one.” In other words, if you want it cheap, it won’t be fast or good. If  you want it fast, it won’t be cheap or good. And, if you want it good, it won’t be cheap or fast.

Nowhere does this ring any truer than when hiring a freelance graphic designer, copywriter, or photographer. Here is how I like to explain it:

If you want it cheap - hire the inexperienced. A newbie freelancer may have adequate skills but  can be slow. They have no experience in what it takes to sell the product or service. You’ll have very pretty advertising but without the desired results.

If you want it fast - even an experienced, knowledgeable freelancer can make costly mistakes. This is what happens when anything is done in a hurry.

If you want it  good - a trusted freelance professional will be given time to do the work correctly. Your advertising will produce successful results and your company will profit from the investment.

Advertising is like most things in life… you get exactly what you pay for.