Think About It

It’s regrettable when an outdoor advertisement distracts drivers. But it’s plain incomprehensible when the offending billboard is one which urges drivers to pay attention to the road.

The subject of driver complaints is a billboard sponsored by the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Department. It features a photograph of a young woman on a cell phone and a mind-boggling 16 words of text – more than double the recommended number of words for an outdoor ad – cautioning drivers about distractions. [See the billboard.]

We imagine drivers lose their focus as they try to make out the small print at the top of the sign, which reads, “Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. reminds you...” Removing this phrase from the billboard would make the sign much more readable. Of course, that would never fly politically, since sheriffs typically like to see their names in 3-foot-high letters.

We just cringe when we see design that undermines the intended message. We’re reminded of another prime example of design clashing with the communication objective. A while back, the Atlanta Press Club held a meeting to discuss avian flu. The speaker was the deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. His message was simple: “Be prepared, but don’t panic.” Yet each guest received a press kit that included a surgical mask. It was, no doubt, intended to be clever, but it struck us as inciting just the sort of overreaction the speaker wanted to discourage.

It’s so important to remember that words can only do so much. If the words are in conflict with the way a piece is physically put together, most often it’s the tangible design that leaves the more lasting impression. A nonprofit organization trying to show good stewardship of funds shouldn’t print its annual report on vellum. And a sheriff trying to encourage safe driving shouldn’t put up a billboard that runs people off the road.