Slightly on Substantive Content

As a writer and a designer the biggest challenge I face is to create something of substance. The issue isn’t so much what I’m writing about or advertising, but what I’m actually saying.

For instance – suppose I’m designing a poster for a conference: In a few months that conference will be over, but the printed poster will still be around, and (hopefully) the imprint it left on those who saw it will be too. I have an opportunity to impact those who see the poster.

And of course, the same goes for an article I may write.

It’s not that every project I design or every article I write will, or should be impactful and moving. Sometimes you’ve just got to get information across or you just want to write something off-the-cuff, or you just want to design something cool. But when I am trying to create something substantial in design or through writing I want to touch the hearts of people. That part of them which wants to love, live and succeed in life. If I can somehow give people courage to pursue those things – even a little bit – then to me, I’ve created something substantial.