That banner ad for The Wall Street Journal is as good an example as any. The image that looks like they took some thumbnail from a stock photo place and enlarged it.The typical duplicate paragraph in an AP news story.
The multiple typos in daily articles and TV commercials.
The shaky YouTube camera work shown on CNN as an exclusive.
It’s not like this is happening with regular blogfolk, these are major media outlets and agencies. Is there not enough time to make sure it’s right? Is it the insatiable demands of a 24/7 content needy world?
I thought computers were supposed to improve the quality of the work for anyone working in the media, not facilitate errors.
Is it a result of a CYA, “Not my problem” mindset?
In discussing this with my friend Mat, maybe it’s more simple that that. His answer makes sense, but it’s still frustrating nonetheless for a generation raised on giving a fuck. We wanted it to look right, or, at least be right before it went out the door.
“People don’t care. It’s not important to them. They want what they want when they want it. They don’t care how it looks.”
I guess for Gen i/text, that fits. Their media choices are so many, it becomes a question of quantity, not quality. Who wants one great choice when I can have five average ones. Medium now truly the message.
Or maybe it’s just me, and things are perfect the way they are?
2 comments:
A long-suffering perfectionist, I find myself spouting hell-in-a-handbasket-themed diatribes about the demise of quality in communications everywhere. I can't order dinner until I find the typo in the menu. I pitched an "oh-my-god-can-you-believe-this-crap" fit to friends, family and coworkers over an ad I found in Newsweek that had a low-res JPG logo, missing fonts, and blown-out color 'correction' (no one understood what the big deal was). Oh, how I wish there was a licensing process for creative professionals. Create a freaking business card in Microsoft Word, and voila! you're a professional designer. And because your 'copy' is printed in an Official Corporate Brochure, that you get to call yourself a professional writer. And the worst part is, most of the unwashed masses don't seem to know the difference.
I understand the frustration, but there are two forces at work here that probably can't be stopped.
1. The burgeoning demands for multiple content outlets within editorial and advertising, all at a lower cost, will drive more errors. If Newsweek's staff is reduced and a typical ad campaign must now have 792 creative mech formats, mistakes will happen. If I'm a pro but writing a quick blog response, I'm not going to look up "burgeoning." The more we do, the quicker/more quickly we do it.
2. In a way, it is GOOD that creative is becoming democratized. Yes, pros may have to let go. What once was hallowed ground for RISD grads is now open to anyone with a Mac, blog, YouTube post or Flickr account. Sure, the new stuff people create will largely look like crap. But it's a good thing the world has become re-interested in writing, photography, video, design, and advertising. What is bad for art is good for the broader advertising and communications economy.
Stil ... speling shold counte.
Post a Comment