In the Eye of the __?

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

This famous quote by Plato holds a lot of truth in the marketing and advertising world. It is also one of the most challenging things to overcome. How do you make successful, or “beautiful,” creative? And, more importantly, who should you make it beautiful for?

At Incite, there are typically four to five different groups all involved in the design process: the account executive, the creative team, the client, and the client’s boss. All of these groups are working together to make something speak to the target audience. The biggest trouble is when these groups start wanting what they like, and they forget the main objective, which is to design something that will attract and engage the target audience.

The key point of the quote is that it’s “…in the eye of the BEHOLDER.”In this case, it’s the target audience, not the designer and not any of the other groups. To accomplish creative that is beautiful to your target audience, you must be strategic and do the appropriate research. It is also important to take yourself out of the equation when developing or evaluating the creative (for all groups involved) and trust the research.

Typical scenario:

• Client (48-year-old male) wants his 4 page brochure done in the company’s corporate colours of blue and black
• Designer (31-year-old female) wants to create a folder/brochure with fancy die-cuts done in the corporate colours but wants to bring in an orange
• Target audience (39-year-old female) would rather look at a website for more information instead of a brochure and dislikes blue and black

Remember, beauty is not in the eye of the designer or owner (who may not even be anywhere near the demographic of the beholder), but rather in the eye of the target audience.