A lesson from The Assembly
In the pursuit of excellence in communication, I have tried to feature before on this blog examples of simple communicative excellence. These have included James White’s beautiful ‘Help Japan’ poster and Jonathan Mak Long’s reworking of the Coca-Cola design. What, then, is the cluttered and confusing image below doing here? (You can click on the image to see a full size version)
When Parkinson’s UK discovered the extent of ignorance about the symptoms of the condition, they commissioned the Assembly creative agency to help them do something about it. The campaign, launched this week, tries to get ‘inside the head’ of a Parkinson’s sufferer, and help the public to understand how it feels. Parkinson’s is not just about tremors and shakes on the outside (symptoms of which most people were aware) but a host of problems on the inside. Faced with those problems even the simplest task, such as tying a shoelace or making a cup of tea, can be intolerably difficult to perform. Earlier this week I sat and puzzled over the poster above whilst riding on the train, taking several minutes piecing it together. This, of course, was exactly what I was supposed to do.
The best communicators listen before they speak, and always seek empathy above sympathy. Preacher beware!
Hats off to The Assembly for making the simple complex in order to get their point across.