ChaCha. Ask Away.

As I was driving the other day, I saw a car window decal that looked a little like this (I was too late in snapping a photo while driving):

Halve the complexity

As a designer, my selective perception tends to dwell on this sort of thing: Why would it need to say “Hoosier Fan” when the singular act of placing a logo decal on a car window is itself a significant and obvious gesture of Fan-ness? That message could have been entirely conveyed in literally half the space.

Simplicity in design does not equal minimal information; it’s about communicating all the necessary information with the least amount of clutter and effort required of the viewer. Keep it simple and succinct. Away with redundancy and fluff. Be minimal, direct, and straight to the point.

The same can be said in the context of text message advertising:

Design for mobile attention spans.

If you’re not a texter, become one. If you are, you know that texts tend to be short and sweet — right to the point. Simple, by design of the mobile experience.

As you daily text, pay attention to how direct you become with your messages. No fluff, not really even all that many English-teacher-approved sentences. Just cut to the chase; mobile attention spans don’t accommodate anything more.

Don’t think of it as writing an ad. Just think of it as a text message.

When texting friends and family, you typically expect that sending a message will elicit a response. Likewise, adopt a similar approach to messaging your consumers. Relate to them conversationally; if you think “ad” first, it becomes very easy to lose your “what do consumers really care about” focus. The mere fact that it’s from your brand makes it an ad, just as the mere placement of a university logo decal on your car window makes you a Fan.

Next up: The Anatomy of a Text Ad