Concept is Everything.
June 17, 2011 | Posted by Jim Gott
Like the book (pictured above) says, "No amount of glossy presentation will improve a bad idea." I know very little about this book. I don't own a copy. But it appears to be one of the few good books available on the topic of concept development for advertising - a very important and often overlooked aspect of the creative process. (Because it's an intangible asset, many people see very little value in the concept development process when developing ad campaigns - or logos.)
A concept is essentially the idea behind the message. Think of it as the hook that will grab attention and convince someone to read on. It's the foundation on which every ad campaign is built. A weak concept obviously means a weak foundation and how do you build anything on a weak foundation? Having said that, concept development is the most challenging and stressful aspect of the creative process. This book should help with your own concept development, it's essentially a complete course in advertising and offers an insight into how good concepts are developed.
What I like most about this book is that all illustrations are in pencil. There seems to be this misconception that everything these days is created using only a computer. However, if you think about it, the guy who who designed the computer didn't sit in front of a computer to develop the idea. He probably used a pencil and paper - the two most important tools for effective concept development.
This book contains 50 years of award winning campaigns in the form of pencil sketches, reinforcing the belief that a good idea will last forever. So, if you're struggling to develop your own ad campaign or marketing message, sit down with a pencil and paper and start writing and sketching. Unfortunately there's no secret formula or revolutionary piece of software to develop your idea, however, there's plenty of software to make a good idea look even better.
What techniques do you use to help develop your ideas or concepts? Do you carry around a sketchbook or notebook to help keep track of any sudden moments of overwhelmingly brilliant inspiration?
