Tag Archives: jazz

I have been trying to think of something profound to add to this quote, but to be honest I think it speaks for itself, but I will have a go none the less...

In my line of business I have to create a BOOM moment, I have to make you look again and to take notice. I do this in tender documents and presentations, I do this in infographics and e-shots, I have to catch your attention and BOOM you've been enticed in.

The art behind what I do is quite simple; I think in pictures. I make the complex simple, I make the complex digestible, there is more to graphic design than merely making it look pretty.

Jazz music was once described to me as a conversation. A call and response, you don't talk over someone in a conversation, but you're engaged and what you add next is in response to what has been said. You take their theme and take it to the next level, thus engaging a listener. This too is relevant in the design world, what I add as a designer adds and enhances what is already in place, but in this case engaging a viewer to read on. Take a tender for example, how many tender applications must a possible client receive? And how do you make your's stand out from the crowd? By creating hook points through branded text boxes, quotes, diagrams and images, entice the viewer in to read your finer points. Like jazz, your tender is a conversation. Engage a reader in the right way and they will respond by looking, and BOOM they've been enticed enough to read the small print. Creating the hook points are similar to a recurring theme in music, make it recognisable, make it memorable, have stop off points where they feel safe to break off for a cup of tea. In many ways music and art are very similar, they are both creative expressions of opinion through more than words. I may've been making the simple far more complicated than I needed to throughout this blog, but in simple terms, get the image, style and feel right for your audience, and people want to hang around for more...