by Brad Smith
I’ve been around this business long enough to remember typesetting, typewriters, keylines, stat machines and the smell of magic markers. But what I miss the most are the old-fashioned artistic skills of the art director who used a pencil or markers to sketch out an idea and turn it into a piece of art we called a layout.
Today’s layouts are done on computer, and they look so close to the finished product that sometimes we (and our clients) forget they’re concepts. They aren’t “comps,” they’re “comp-letes.”
Have clients driven this expectation, or do we not give clients enough credit to think they can use their imagination? Frankly, I’m not sure.
But I do know we recently had a great experience combining the old technology of “pencil rough layouts” with the new technology of “GoToMeeting.”
In a sign of the current economy, we had a firm, tight ad development budget. So, as usual, we noodled through some ideas and developed copy for a few ad concepts. But instead of multiple computer comp layouts, we created pencil rough layouts. Then instead of driving to the client’s office, we presented these concepts to their marketing staff via the Internet.
The results? Travel time was eliminated. Creative and account service time was reduced. The client was involved earlier in the concept stage. Pros and cons were exchanged. Everybody was excited and enthusiastic. And a firm direction was agreed upon and then executed. Budget objectives were achieved.
The new good old ways. Maybe we’re on to something here.
I’ve been around this business long enough to remember typesetting, typewriters, keylines, stat machines and the smell of magic markers. But what I miss the most are the old-fashioned artistic skills of the art director who used a pencil or markers to sketch out an idea and turn it into a piece of art we called a layout.
Today’s layouts are done on computer, and they look so close to the finished product that sometimes we (and our clients) forget they’re concepts. They aren’t “comps,” they’re “comp-letes.”
Have clients driven this expectation, or do we not give clients enough credit to think they can use their imagination? Frankly, I’m not sure.
But I do know we recently had a great experience combining the old technology of “pencil rough layouts” with the new technology of “GoToMeeting.”
In a sign of the current economy, we had a firm, tight ad development budget. So, as usual, we noodled through some ideas and developed copy for a few ad concepts. But instead of multiple computer comp layouts, we created pencil rough layouts. Then instead of driving to the client’s office, we presented these concepts to their marketing staff via the Internet.
The results? Travel time was eliminated. Creative and account service time was reduced. The client was involved earlier in the concept stage. Pros and cons were exchanged. Everybody was excited and enthusiastic. And a firm direction was agreed upon and then executed. Budget objectives were achieved.
The new good old ways. Maybe we’re on to something here.
Flickr Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mangpages/
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