Say hello to variable fonts — simpler, more efficient typography that looks better on any screen. The type community is already all over this one, but should a web designer or web copywriter be that excited about typeface? As creative content providers for responsive web design, absolutely!
Today’s Internet is an information trash pile just as much as it’s a superhighway. Anyone can create content, which means there’s just as much junk as there is compelling information. Shareable content entertains, educates and adds value to the lives of the audience members who consume it.
If you wish to join the ranks of content writers who add value to the Internet community, here are a few guidelines for delivering quality.
Why are writers crazy, so depressed and weird? Jeez, that’s quite a reputation to uphold! Are recurring deadlines, writer’s block or lack of sleep to blame? Or is it just that crazy, depressed and weird people tend to become writers?
What do you think? Tell us your theory in the comments below…
As an entrepreneur, you’re brimming with ideas, but who has the time to act on them? Being unable to find the time to work on what you want to work on is a common problem. So how do we make room in our lives for this stuff? Designer extraordinaire and guest writer Arley McBlain serves up some suggestions.
Where do common expressions in the English language come from?
Long before Internet memes and hashtags, there were spoken expressions that stood the test of time. Even the best copywriters fall victim to their seduction, citing writer’s block, lack of sleep or general laziness as culprits. Sadly, clichés, idioms and other common expressions often signify lack of creativity, which is not something any writer wants to portray.
In his book, “Then We Set His Hair on Fire,” copywriter and former chief creative officer of BBDO North America Phil Dusenberry revealed how powerful insights propelled his successful career in advertising. He told the story of how one insight helped his team land a $50 million-plus Pizza Hut account.
Want to save a word from oblivion? Oxford Dictionary lets you adopt old or lost words to help keep them alive. The organization states that 90% of everything we write is communicated by only 7,000 words, and each year hundreds of words are being dropped from the English language.
How long has language been around? For 50,000 years, language has aided human intellectual evolution and social advancements. Now the emergence of social media puts idea sharing, information exchange and our collective progress into hyper drive.
For generations, information and ideas have been shared through theater, schools and media. Books, newspapers, magazines, radio and TV sped the distribution and reach of language to the masses. The advent of the Internet hurled language onto an information super highway. With social media fully embedded in the mainstream, humans are now able to instantaneously tap into, and influence, the ideological pulse of the planet. So is this a good thing?
For decades, the line between what we need and what we want has been blurring, leading to overconsumption and a range of environmental issues. Who’s to blame, and what can be done?
Why do some ideas stick, while others silently slip away into oblivion? Made to Stick
