A designer once accused me of trying to put fourteen ounces of soda into a twelve ounce can. He was referring to my constant habit of writing too much copy.  A common affliction most writers have.  Just when I think I've mastered the "less is more" concept, I find STILL more words that can be sliced off.  Who am I trying to impress,anyway!?  Too many words hide the beauty of a well-crafted idea.  

Back in his day, advertising genius David Ogilvy believed in copy ... and lots of it.  Even though I'm a huge fan, David Ogilvy developed much of his work before the attention span of most Americans was 3 seconds or less. We're on information overload, living in an over-stimulated society ... so much to sell, so much to buy, so little time.  Clients are fearful about the "less is more" concept because they don't trust the customer to "get it" . After more than 25 years in this business, clients STILL want their logos bigger, more copy, even ask us to put their name at the top of the headline!!!  Patiently, we try to explain.  Let the creative convey the message ... trust the customer to "get it".  They will.  There's a reason why we use THAT font, THAT photo, THAT approach.  We're creative for a reason... to sell something.  All that extra copy is just messy! 

 

Oh, one more thing...a favorite quote:  

There is no greater passion than to edit someone else's draft.   Ain't it the truth!