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But we are proud to say that Anna Goldsmith contributed 177 entries already.
Look at this ad. Which reaction feels more like the one you’re having — be honest. Don’t think too hard. A. Oh, look at that happy little girl reading! How cute! B. Dear God, what is our world coming to? Here’s what I suspect: If you picked “A,” you’re 30 or younger. If you picked […]
A recent conversation with a potential client opened up a brand new ethical dilemma for me: Is it okay to take someone’s money if in your heart-of-hearts you believe their business has no chance of succeeding, no matter how great the copywriting? It was further complicated for me because I have a particular passion for […]
Want to find love, ace that test or lie online? Then you better choose the right font. Below you’ll find three of the craziest studies I came across when I was trapped in the font research vortex for my last blog. Enjoy. 1. If you want people to believe you, use Baskerville. Turns out font […]
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Grammar Cop — a forum for tips and reminders about the frequently confusing and often-illogical communications platform known as English. It’s our job at The Hired Pens to pay attention to this stuff. (Truth be told, we’re kind of obsessive-compulsive about it, so this is actually fun for […]
In a previous blog post, I discussed how American businesses besieged NBC News with requests when it offered insights into what made Japanese companies successful. This was the result of its in-depth news show, “NBC White Paper,” and the businesses wanted the information contained in the report. Of course, NBC created the report as a […]
“It’s possible to blow away three-quarters of our readers simply by choosing the wrong type.” So says Colin Wheildon, author of Type & Layout: Are You Communicating or Just Making Pretty Shapes, in an article by John Wood. That’s a lot of people to lose right out of the gate. Think about what that represents […]
The business world is full of terms that are widely used, yet often misunderstood. Case in point: white papers. Defining your terms is critical in order to get agreement on a subject. That’s particularly true with the term “white paper.” If your team can’t get in sync about what everybody means by the phrase, you’re […]
If you’ve ever done any online dating, you’ve probably been asked to think about “your personal brand.” This is really just a clever way of asking, “What makes you ‘you’ and different from your competition?” As in dating, the best brands in business are distinct, consistent and memorable. Because let’s face it, there are a […]
This PowerPoint presentation really speaks for itself. And that is EXACTLY what you don’t want to do if you’re trying to engage with your audience in any meaningful way. The slideshow was directed at professors, but anyone can benefit. Well, anyone who uses PPT. My favorite tip: If your audience can understand everything they need […]
“I’m designing a new app” is the new “I’m writing a screenplay” for creative types who want to get rich quick — or just impress attractive women at cocktail parties. Yes, a rare few do actually manage to create a killer app with potential. The next step (at least for the marketing team) is breaking […]
