Use the KISS Method!

There’s an old saying in advertising, “keep it simple stupid.” The more clutter the worse the perception. By keeping things simple, you can be more effective with less. This principle can be applied to design as well.

If you notice, in our book, there has been a general movement over the years to more simplification and less clutter. When you look at early advertising, they filled the page with lots of information. From books to catalogs, every space had to be filled. This was probably caused by the expense of paper and the relative high cost of printing. It was especially true in the early parts of the 20th century.

As time has reduced costs, we don’t feel the need to clutter things up. Our message can be given to our reader in a more organized way. One that makes the consumer feels less stress, less like things are being pushed on him. Look at Nike as an example. Much of their advertising is very simple, yet effective.

When we see an ad with lots of clutter, we say it’s busy. Many ads, whether they are print or television, are using pictures to set a mood. They don’t clutter things. They try to make them easier on the eye.

In most people’s opinion, better advertising uses a very simple approach. If you can cut something do it. If you don’t need information, don’t put it in. We realize that our minds are overloaded, so we do something about it. I think that as time goes on, this approach will be used even more.