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Success is 50% Style

Posted by Rick Hosmer on November 22 2010| 0 Comments

I was asked by the Spokane MarCom Association to write an "Experts Edge" commentary for the group's December newsletter. I thought I would repost my article to the Klündt | Hosmer blog:

Expert's Edge: Guest Commentary

Success is 50% STYLE

In preparing to write this newsletter commentary, I read the past several “Expert’s Edge” pieces written by my contemporaries (i.e. people who have also been professional communicators for a long time). Ron Nichols wrote in November about 21st century storytelling. He ended his commentary with this quote: “He (or she) who tells the best story wins.” I will build on Ron’s foundation by revising his statement a bit: “He (or she) who tells the best story – in the most attention-getting manner – wins.” I have learned that it’s the visual STYLE of the communication that ultimately makes the work successful.

Visual communication is something that I have done all of my life. From my first crayon drawings that my mom and dad taped to the fridge door, to today where as a partner at Klundt | Hosmer for the past 23 years, I have helped companies and organizations “tell their story” through thousands of print, advertising and website projects.

But what does visual communication mean to your business or your clients? You all have important stories to tell. Your company or clients are paying you to make sure those stories get heard and remembered. But what’s going to encourage people to read or listen to your stories? I learned as a child that it’s “the pictures” that people are attracted to.

In the work of designers, those “pictures” are more than just photography, video or illustrations (though they are that). They also consist of the colors, font styles, type sizes, placement of elements, column widths, even the empty space between the lines that influence a person’s desire to read, listen to and remember what you or your client’s have to say.

Select your words wisely. Structure your sentences correctly. Craft your paragraphs precisely. Be compelling with what you write. But I encourage you to think as much about how your stories LOOK as you do to what they SAY. Now great writers are not necessarily great designers. But if you aren’t a designer, I’ll bet you know someone who is.

Today I read a quote on a friend’s Facebook profile that says, “Success is 50% STYLE.” Think about it. As to storytelling in the 21st century, I’d wager that statement is true.

In the intense competition to gain the attention and interest of your audience, be they a reader, TV viewer, or Internet surfer, the STYLE of how a message looks may result in half (or more) of its success. 

Rick Hosmer
Principal/Creative Director
Klundt | Hosmer