Have you ever read a book that influenced your life? Back in college, I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Pirsig, a classic that talks just as much about values as it does about motorcycles. What stood out for me was the importance it put on organization. Pirsig said that:
“…one of the first warning signs of impatience is frustration at not being able to lay your hand on the tool you need right away. If you just stop and put tools away neatly you will both find the tool and also scale down your impatience without wasting time or endangering the work.”
The idea that once everything is in order you can accomplish what you need to do really stuck with me. I followed it as gospel when I was a college student, and I still do so today, incorporating organization into so many parts of my life — from maintaining my home to doing my design work. In fact, I now call it my life hack.
At home, if I can’t find anything I want in my closet, I know it’s time to clean it up and organize it. I simplify by throwing things out, putting items in labeled boxes, adding shelves, etc. Once I finish, I can find clothes, hats, umbrellas, and more — calmly — even when I’m in a hurry. It gets me from point A to point B with much less stress.
What drives my design
In my business, attention to organization helps me create a harmonious and effective design piece that moves the work. It allows copy to flow and have direction. It opens up the space for easy readability and, ultimately, it helps quickly direct readers to where you want them to read or to take an action. If the design doesn’t do that, you’re wasting your marketing dollars and, as Pirsig would say, “endangering the work.”
But it’s not always easy to organize, because you start with a long copy block, which you need to open up and simplify so that prospects can get to your message right away. Want an example of how it’s done? See below and note the same page from a letter, before and after it was designed with organization in mind.
Which version would you rather read?
The one on the right? I thought so. The block of copy on the left can be read, but if you break it up and put each element in a separate box, plus add some graphics, it makes the letter so much more readable, don’t you agree? Think about it — it’s like a large pile of clothes. The shirt you want to wear is there, but unless you put it on a hanger and give it space, it would be hard to find.
That’s what organization does: It creates order out of a pile of words and headings so you can sell better, faster, and more memorably.
Now, I need to put Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance on my I-must-read-again list. Something that I still think about after all this time is like an old friend you need to revisit!