Design People, without People
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- yurimon0
thanks everyone, your advice was helpful ...
- Amicus0
I know we all have different ideas of what is funny, but using humour or wit can go a long way in differentiating a brand.
- MrT0
It's not just the execution where these factors come into play.
Depends on the message too. Surely it's relatively easy to appear human and personable in say, a charity campaign. If you're designing a piece of marketing, no amount of handwriting will get away from the deeply unpersonal fact that you're just selling shit.
- vaxorcist0
Do you have to indicate all the side effects of the medication or procedure anywhere in fine print?
- TheFatBaron0
"Personable" isn't just achieved through design. How's the writing on the project? I know QBN is mostly design focused, but I'm not kidding. A lot of healthcare brochures have the same tone. Perhaps the writing can be updating to give the piece a specific voice and personality?
Also... what about illustration? Is that an option?
- I need to be careful because i am afraid i will comit a certain amount of time and it would be unlikedyurimon
- cannonball19780
just spitballing here
- no... this info may be useful to me in an upcoming pitch,,,, thanks!
vaxorcist
- no... this info may be useful to me in an upcoming pitch,,,, thanks!
- cannonball19780
Maybe conducting an exercise to help the client define what personable means to them would help uncover some more specific descriptors. Or if the client isn't too "executive" and willing to be a little more hands on with the project, have them send three examples of what they can describe as personable with a sentence.
- cannonball19780
Another opportunity to make things feel more "personable" is by leaving human artifacts like stories or testimonials where people interact with your client. Leading with examples of how humans interacted with humans can help guide when a potential customer interacts with your client for the first time. This could be captured with video, or some written story, or even pictures.
- cannonball19780
It's important to identify objective descriptors like "personable" early on. That way you can steer them towards something a bit more actionable like "transparent".
Customers who can see just a little of the inner workings of the business and know that there are human hands at work can extrapolate the rest and this develops trust. If you have an opportunity to build that into the project you can create that feel.
- rosko_picachu0
De-bug the brief, arrrgghhh!!! Change the words for words that mean the same thing but use words that will give you ideas.
If i was given a brief that said "convey the message of engaging and personable.." i'd have to change it to words that have relevance to the punters who will see the promotional material and myself.
Did you ever go and see a film, or look at a magazine and say to your friend, "Wow, that was so engaging and personable!"
It's just emotionless business speak for "We want something that looks shit hot, shows the personal touch and has personality" or whatever.
- doesnotexist0
wayfinding systems
- yurimon0
Baskerville: what was the budget for hiring a photographer?
if it ok to ask...
- BaskerviIle0
I worked on an international private healthcare rebranding a few years ago. We had the same issue with stock photos of the medical profession and patients etc. So we ended up commissioning our own which turned out so much better. The category is full of generic stock images of doctors etc. It was pretty easy to art direct what we wanted and stand out from the crowd completely
- Abram Games always said hands are a better non-specific way of showing people than facesBaskerviIle
- fadein110
illustration
- 23kon0
If you commision a photographer you can also get them to shoot in a certain style or in post-production colour-wise.
Giving your client their own "style" of shot will set them apart from their competitors and also makes for a good brief for any future shoots.
- 23kon0
Stock photos, especially those within certain industries like healthcare are ALWAYS going to be cliched, posed, cheesey corporate crap!
Tell your client that if they want images that are more human, much more real-life, then they should get you to commission some shots.
Adding a candid element to the shots (from interesting angles, real people, not afraid to be gritty) will make for MUCH better shots.
- Chimp0
You might want to ask the client a few more question to find out what they consider to be a 'sense of personality but not using people'.
Sounds a bit like 'I don't know what I want until I see it', client.
- vaxorcist0
...sounds like they may be asking for impossible..... or very innovative in a way that may be rejected... why? Healthcare images are usually so crisp and clean and bright and anything "personal" is usually somewhat worn out, organic... messy even... or possibly stereotypical, or too impersonal... or... whatever..
...so...don't play charlie brown to their lucy....
- Chimp0
My Converse trains I keep on wearing but are nearly dead
- Chimp0
What about personal items you have a strong connection to.
e.g. A model airplane my dad gave me when I was 7.
Or
Your favorite T-shirt