What a copywriter would like you to know about design

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Dean Rieck.

You might have run across Dean from articles in DM News, Inside Direct Mail or any number of other publications he’s been in.

As a copywriter, Dean, and people like him, are partners with us as we work to create successful marketing material for our clients.

So I read with interest his Open Letter to Direct Mail Designers.

One thing that stood out to me was this comment:

I’m not trying to win awards. I don’t care whether people are impressed. My only concern is helping the client increase profits. I sincerely hope that is your concern as well.

And hopefully that’s your goal. The best award you can “win” is a happy client who keeps coming back to you because you’re helping him make money.

I’ve told this story before, but if you’re new here… One of my first clients years ago needed a cover for his special report. I got way too fancy with Photoshop. In an e-mail back to me, the client said, “My wife hates it.”

His wife was right. It wasn’t good. The second version was a winner, but I was still embarrassed.

To this day, I cringe when I think about it. But that’s part of the rookie learning experience.

However, there’s no harm in learning from what other more experienced people have learned. So read what Dean has to say and take it to heart.

Your clients don’t really care that you’re a whiz with Photoshop or that you’re Adobe Certified in InDesign. That’s great if you are. But if you can’t apply that to successful direct mail pieces, your client isn’t going to be impressed.

Unimpressed clients hire someone else.