The BizComics Club Blog
The Australian author, critic, broadcaster, poet, translator, and memoirist, Clive James, once said: “Common sense and a sense of humor are the same thing, moving at different speeds. A sense of humor is just common sense, dancing.” So it is that our comics, while humorous in nature, very often reflect common sense — a sense that seems increasingly forgotten as time goes on.
In our blog, we hope to expand on that common sense, to clarify some things, to debunk some others. We hope to help you see the complex can be made simple, that it should be made simple. We hope to reinforce what you already know to be true — that because the simplest things are the most memorable, they’re the most effective. We hope to work with you to create simple, effective messages to promote your business and your interests. Most of all, we hope to have fun doing those things with you and to make common sense dance.
Y’all Pass Me That Bottle
Y'all Pass Me That Bottle What Night Train Express and Thunderbird are to vintage wines, Ventura Publisher is to graphic design. In 1986 (yeah, we were there), Ventura Publisher begat what came to be known as desktop publishing. That opened the world of graphic design...
A Bridge Too Far
A Bridge Too Far We love cartoons. The only thing we might love more than cartoons is language. And the only thing we might love more than language is the way it's tortured, twisted, and traumatized — wittingly or unwittingly — in people's attempts to construct...
Aiming Is Not Driving
Aiming Is Not Driving We've decided to change our business model. That's right. Effective immediately, whenever we're asked to create a white paper, we're going to create it at no charge. Thereafter, however, we're going to charge five bucks for every revision. We've...
Straighten Out the Language
Straighten Out the Language It's hard not to feel sympathy for Dr. Ludwig L. Zamenhof, the idealistic if misguided soul who created Esperanto. Dr. Zamenhof hoped to simplify the study and learning of language; to let users of Esperanto communicate with other users of...
Attacked By the Blob!
Attacked By the Blob! Horror-movie buffs may recall The Blob as the 1958 film in which Steve McQueen had his first starring role on the big screen. (He had a smaller role in Never Love a Stranger the same year.) That particular version of The Blob might have been any...
To Have and To Fold
To Have and To Fold We don't know if you've ever witnessed The Great Escape. But it's a fairly common occurrence in our business (creative services, that is): Here's how it typically plays out: Client: I need a trifold. Designer: AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! Client:...
White Space
White Space Perhaps nothing is so vaunted, so cherished, so coveted, so misunderstood, so misused, and so thoroughly abused as white space. Conjointly, and in relation to the use of white space, perhaps no group is so celebrated, so mimicked, so misunderstood, so...
The Sound of Silos
The Sound of Silos It's a little-known fact (or a well-kept secret) that, many years ago, we worked in the grain industry. We were, in fact, grain farmers. And one of the people we worked with was Paul Simon. (Yes. That Paul Simon.) Back then, Uncle Clem had a silo...
Ghostwriters and Other Hobgoblins
Ghostwriters and Other Hobgoblins We recently went to visit a client who'd hired us to create cartoons for a speech he was scheduled to give. To accompany his speech, he wanted to use the cartoons, as slides, to illustrate a series of points he intended to make. When...
Marketing Miracle: The White Paper
Marketing Miracle: The White Paper In our line of work, which happens to be marketing if you're a first-time visitor (welcome), we hear a lot about white papers. The things we hear are usually variations on some pretty predictable themes. And they usually prompt...