Lightning and Cotter Pins
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.”
~Mark Twain
The quote above made me think of a cotter pin, particularly a cotter pin in James Agee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, A Death in the Family. For those of you who haven’t read it, I’m about to spoil the story. On a trip to visit his parents in the country, Jay Follett dies in an accident. He couldn’t steer after a cotter pin worked itself loose. In the wake of Jay’s death, his son Rufus and other members of their family must reassess the meaning of life, death and family.
That may be a strange and morbid metaphor to use in a post on a design, marketing and advertising blog, but ours is a business of cotter pins—seeming insignificant details and nuances. Subtleties mean the difference between prosperity and anonymity.
For example, what separates a good logo from a bad logo? What about the right typeface from the wrong one? How do you know when you have a great website? Who gets to decide anyway? What are marketing and design No Nos of which you should be aware? Whose judgment should you trust?
You’ve probably heard someone say, “The devil’s in the details.” We prefer to say that big, green dollars signs are in the details. All those shapes, colors, pixels, and bits of html code can make something powerful like lightning or fragile like a lightning bug. The choice is yours, but even more, the choice belongs to all the people who have experiences with your brand.
In other words, choose your marketing and branding mechanic carefully. Morris Creative knows how to check cotter pins, how to make lightning.
Okay, now I’m just mixing metaphors, but seriously, pay attention to every aspect of your brand. If that’s not your strength, then give us a call at 865-637-9869.
Mark Twain would.
