What is Writing to
Visual? When the writer comes in
after the fact. The Visual exists before
copy. Can be a visual ad concept (picture tells
all – who needs copy?), graphic/web design already laid out, even random pictures
you’re handed, told Make it work. Copy as afterthought.
Fortunately for Kamikaze Copywriters, without the
afterthought, the visual can't work.
We still must write Prospect Centered copy supporting the
Objective and Promise. Copy taking its
tone, even content – from the visual.
Instead of taking the lead or working as part of a Copy/Visual concept/team,
we must follow the lead of graphics, colors, shapes, sizes. Match visual/graphic feel, attitude, subject,
reality, flow.
These jobs aren't all that unusual. Another writer had too many problems
(personal, technical, style, whatever) to complete an assignment. A graphic or web designer had to submit design
(usually for estimating) before the client would consider copy. Impossible deadlines. Someone decided to do a self-promo, poster,
holiday card, party invitation, whatever, based upon a visual/design they love. The AD came up
with a visual concept, write copy for it.
Your partner (AD, GD, WD, etc.) and you disagree – they want to present
their visual idea with copy. You want to
present another idea with visual.
My method is always the same. First, the KCWP**, especially Prospect
Definition, Objective. Promise. Product understanding. The intellectual aspects of the job sifting through my creative process.
I’ve talked about “going through and coming out the other
side” before. Usually in the context of
Translating the Thought behind a headline.
Writing to visual, I use the same technique. Staring into it,
trying to come out the other side. It’s
more voodoo, gut, getting inside the visual vibe than anything else.
I stare. Feel more
than see colors, textures, expression.
If it’s a photograph of a person, who is he/she, what are they
thinking? Trying to tell me? Can I wrap it around a Kamikaze Key Fact?
Is the image blind? What emotional sense am I getting?
Does it have a seasonal, human influence? A sense of humor? Sadness? Terror?
Graphic and web designs are a little trickier. Is the design harder edge, angular? Is it curvy?
Does it flow? How? Why? At
what speed? (Think Picasso portraits - why do some women have five full rounded breasts, others one stingy pointy thing nobody wants to hold - that kind of thing works writing to design layout, too.) What do the colors tell
me? Is negative space blank – or peaceful? What must it motivate (Objective)? Digesting information? Stopping prospects walking by a rack or
table of other offerings? Any corporate graphics/copy standards? Concept or Illustration?
A true visual ad concept doesn’t need
explaining. If you have to explain it, it’s an
illustration. A true visual concept
needs support, copy to carry the prospect from visual thought to copy/product, objective. The copy must complete
the visual thought, continue its attitude, carry it to the Prospect’s motivational center.
An illustration can rarely - if ever - say it all without words. Because it’s
not conceptual in the true sense, it needs words to explain, relate the
visual to prospect/product. At the same
time, they must mirror visual texture, tone, tenure.
How can I translate the message into a true language of concept, matching illustrative style. Art,
photography, multi-media?
Example: I was handed
an illustration of a French Horn. Impressionistic, with flowing disconnected
lines, purple and gold against black. An
image made as much of negative space as colors, lines drawn. Make a Christmas card.
I stared at the illustration, felt the flow of its curves, the
strength and movement of the gold and purple, the night of the black. Went through the horn and looked at it from
behind, squinting my eyes until I came out the other side of those wispy
suggestions of buttons, baffles, pipes.
Now is the time for a
chorus of angels,
A brass band of
children
Sings trumpets of
peace.
Now is the season of
joy everlasting,
A horn full of magic
Makes peaceful my
sleep.
Wishing you the beauty
of Christmas for all your New Years
Sometimes poetry.
Sometimes not. As long as it
matches the look and feel of the visual, communicates, grabs the Prospect’s
attention/interest, somehow reflects the product/client - doesn’t
matter. This company had a
spiritual bent, but wanted to avoid religion. Christmas as warm and fuzzy national
holiday.
Sometimes I get a single strange line, which I may break up
dramatically to increase affect/continue tone. Not poetry, just copy. Gazing through the eyes of a
portrait photographer’s subject for a gallery invite. Feeling the natural light flooding the subject. “A
picture as interview/Leaves naught but to listen/Words held loudly in light/Faces,
bodies do the telling.” Sold out
show, lots of critics attending, happy client. Some people thought
“poems” would come with all the photos. Kismet? No. Writing
to Visual.
I had to write three versions of the same copy for presentation. Working with two ADs and a
GD, the GD wanted to present strong graphic images, close-ups of body parts using the client logo in less expected ways (a hearing aid, a gold tooth, an eye’s
Iris, bald head tattoo). Visually, it was similar
to something the client had seen, admired.
The GD found a way to differentiate it from something the
client thought he wanted to steal. Taking my lead
from her visual and design (very little unusually displayed copy, lots of white
space) my job was to do the same.
That big ear with client logo hearing aid, a huge red mouth with
lapping tongue, logo gold-tooth – the images were strong, but kind of obtuse to
me. The more I stared, I got such a sense of WTF, my lines took the same approach and attitude. The trick was not just to come up with the
lines themselves, but to somehow relate copy and visuals to Prospect/Product Benefits.
Because the visuals were a twisted version of ones already in the marketplace, I felt the lines should be somewhat twisted versions of familiar/cliched thoughts too.
The hearing aid/ear? Cleverly
integrated communication for geeks:
Why the sound of one hand clapping?
The gold tooth/tongue thrust mouth? Many different and/or custom offerings:
Yeah, like everyone wants plain Vanilla.
Nasty head tattoo?
Intellectual depth, original customer solutions:
Close enough to read writing not
on the wall.
Steely eyed Iris? A
history of industry-leading technology:
Wait to see the future, it’s
past.
No real concept. Just
visuals and lines I wrote to them.
I’m not proposing these are the best lines you’ll ever
read/the best I’ve ever written. Or even close. My using
them isn’t about ego or exploiting an opportunity to sell my services. It’s about taking you through that visual looking
glass. Trying to show you how my process came out the other side.
There must be other techniques. This works for me. See where it takes you. Do what I do, what someone else does or something
completely your own – doesn’t matter.
The trick is to take your verbal lead from all the visual is – not just
what you see.
Maybe not an ideal way to work, but in reality a necessary skill
to master. You’ll use it more
than you expect.
FOR MY CIRCUS STUDENTS
AND THOSE FOLLOWING ALONG W/THE CLASS:
a Writing To Visual assignment.
I intended to find copyright free images/visuals I could post for you to use, but after three+
hours with nothing I wanted to write to, I decided to give you an original thought option, too. Instead of using my prospect/product/visual:
- Find a visual image –
photo, graphic, illustration, whatever – that speaks to you. Doesn’t matter what the subject is. One you feel as well as see.
- Decide what kind of Prospect would be moved, motivated, piqued,
identify with your visual. Be
daring – find a prospect you’ve not tried to reach before.
- Decide upon a product/service your prospect uses/needs. One you feel you can connect to the prospect/visual.
- Do an ad. Make sure you include/integrate
product benefits/features in the body copy. Be sure they’re part of the story, not a
laundry list stuck in the middle paragraph.
- Submit the visual and your copy, as per class format, by deadline.
- Have fun!
- HINT: It'll be easier if you do a KCWP.**
As the image is one you feel a connection to
(instead of one I chose by default), you should have more of a creative/personal stake in your results.
That said, if you’re
absolutely sure you can’t think of anything, here are a few images/product/prospect suggestions but I warn you – none of them got me excited. Your work may be smarter, the assignment easier, if you find your own.
Hot babe in cafe: YCO* airlines/cruise lines/travel sites, health insurance, Alzheimer's Care Facilities. Prospects: overworked executives, middle aged children of elderly parents, family doctors/Nurse Practitioners. Prospect/product of your choosing.
Ain't I cool: You tell me. Maybe e-Harmony.com? Just looks like someone I might have dated once.
Doggie loves banana: YCO* of ASPCA, Neutricks (or other) supplement for doggie dementia, low cost spay/neuter clinic. Prospects: high school students, owners of older dogs, new puppy owners/owners of unspayed/unneutered pets. Product/prospect of your choosing.
*YCO - Your choice of
**KCWP - Kamikaze Creative Work Plan
As always, this blog post (c) 2013, Doreen Dvorin/Kamikaze Creative.
All photos copyright and attribution free uploaded from http://pixabay.com/
P.S. Sorry I've been absent. Getting older is Hell.
P.P.S. Sorry this is so long, but as it serves as a lecture to my CC students, I needed to pack in as much How To as possible. D.
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