In 1997 I was made President of D&AD. It was a period of great change and my introduction to the 35th Anniversary Annual reflected this. I made this point…
“A whole generation has been weaned on home computer and MTV. This new and demanding audience is used to receiving rapid multi-layered information, all at the push of a button.”
And the front cover of the annual, designed by Fernando Gutiérrez, highlighted the inclusion, of the then-termed ‘interactive design’ for the first time…
Visual creativity at work by Fernando Gutiérrez
While this sea change was welcomed on the front cover, I asked advertising copywriter Will Awdry to celebrate the art of writing on the back. Not only did he do that with enormous wit and lateral panache, but he also executed it with supreme accuracy, adjusting his 26 assorted box of tools to fit the layout perfectly...
Verbal creativity at work by Will Awdry
That was how advertising copywriters used to work back then, and had done so for very many decades. But as I pointed out…
“In recent years we have seen an increase of visually led design and advertising… members have lamented the passing of simple, well written ideas and see these visually laden commercials as an affront to their beliefs. But they need to cast their minds back to when their own work may have been unsettling for the old guard of their time.”
During the 14 years since writing that introduction, substantial copy in ads and commercials has diminished. Those long, beautifully written and crafted ads are a rarity. The increasing demand for global campaigns has a lot to do with this and the fact that people just don’t have the time or can be bothered to read long copy any more. They are far too busy tapping out there own 140 characters via Twitter.
But hold on, all is not lost. Thanks to the wonderful writers organisation 26, copy is again being taken seriously. And if you care about the craft of writing (and you should) then do support this laudable collective. The fee is a paltry, but witty £26 – the cost of a round of drinks. (Anyway we are told that alcohol is increasingly bad for us).
So come on cast aside your mouse, sharpen a pencil and click here to find out more.