The Best of Both Worlds

Whether you're creating a Web catalog, a taxi ad, a magazine campaign or a direct-mail political piece, the best persuasive communication happens when design and copy work together to communicate the same message.

Maybe you've seen cases where that didn't happen -- a vivid headline with boring art, a striking design with conservative copy, a site that was a delight to read and a horror to navigate. Don't add your work to this list.

If you're the creative director, it's your job to bring design and copy together in service of the client's goal. This may mean putting personal judgments aside and doing the best job you can, even if your client is an annoying jerk whose company cuts down rain forests.

It will also mean putting aside your ego and convincing others to do the same. Your art director may have an idea that will look fabulous but won't match the tone that's required for the copy. Your copywriter may have to be persuaded that the best headline will be six words, not twelve. This is where you earn your money -- and, we hope, sell lots of whatever your client is marketing.