04 / BE DIRECT
creative guidelines
cutting through the noise is the best way to stand out in a world of competitors clamoring for attention
1. find focus
Minimize distractions and fInd beauty in thoughtful reductiveness. Challenge your own assumptions about what is “necessary.”
Being direct favors a communication style that is focused and immediate. Messages that are bold and clear don’t need to shout to stand out.
2. empathy rules
Speak the language your consumer already knows. Using familiar and relatable concepts will make the experience feel more personal and meaningful.
Working with what they already know & do will make your creative output more accessible and much easier to relate to.
3. be ruthless
De-cluttering your creative output requires an uncompromising capacity to edit out ideas, messages, and expressions that are not 100% focused on the core concept.
Trust your gut—it knows what’s important.
4. communicate ideas, not information
Don’t get lost in the weeds: create a communication hierarchy that has information at the bottom and big, impactful concepts at the top.
Describe products and services in terms of benefits, not features.