Only a minute or two for a little stream-of-consciousness here dear readers, but I wanted to welcome you to the new, pared-down theme surrounding the Copywriter Underground’s content.
Call it an overdue change of hairstyle – a new, minimalist look & feel reflecting my somewhat slimmed-down approach to work.
And yes, I’m suggesting it’s a trend.
After all, the words I generate these days spill out onto the screen of a simple text editor. I’m carefully managing my online time to waste less of it. And looking hard at a significant shift in my target markets.
It’s also a reflection of my admiration for the minimalist approach to copy (a result of “growing up” – at least in the advertising sense – during the Fallon/McElligot era of direct-but-smart print ads).
It might even reflect the difficult times, where those with the resources to engage in conspicuous consumption are finding themselves reticent to do so.
Satirizing the Recession
While I was forming this post in my head, I stumbled across a wonderful Garrison Keillor essay, and admit to having a soft spot for essayists in general.
Essayists and poets might tread the ground closest to copywriters in a purely stylistic sense (an assertion sure to generate disagreement among poets and essayists), but in this case, Keillor launches his work with a satirical poke at corporate bean counting, illuminating the wide gap between what companies do in recessions and what writers do:
I have bad news. In the midst of the worldwide economic meltdown we are experiencing these days, I have taken a hard look at revenue from this column and find that I am earning but a tiny fraction of the $6.5 million I had projected for 2008, which leaves me no choice but to impose aggressive cost reductions, including a 75 percent reduction in writing time and the elimination of editing. I apologize for the inconvenience. And I thank you for your patience.
Enjoy your day (remembering to slice away those parts of it that simply don’t serve you). I’ll be back soon with more from the slimmer, trimmer Underground.
Keep writing, Tom Chandler.
Comments 9
I like the recessionary look. Really do.
Thanks. I wear it well, and it doesn’t make my hips look big.
Wow.
Definitely a pared-down Underground!
Yes, I love the minimalist approach. Two or three times I’ve started with a blank white slate, only to chicken out and add “splashes” of colour here and there. Before I know it, I have a full, not-quite-minimalistic website.
Seeing it on someone else though shows me how will it really works.
Congrats on a great looking site!
~Graham
I’m not done playing around yet, so it’s still an even chance I’ll muck up the minimalism.
Likey.
You wouldn’t know it from my own blog, but I’m a huge fan of minimalism. I love this new look, Tom! (I’m hip-deep in 3 site redesigns right now. Guess I’ll have to add Maven to the pile.)
Picking a blog theme is like trying a new haircut; you’re never entirely satisfied with the result, even when nobody else notices the difference. And at some point, you know you’ll change again.
Paid less. Write less. That makes sense – just write more of the less and bring home the same income.
It’s a scary time no matter what industry you’re in, but amazingly the freelance writing trends look to be faring quite well in the down economy. Either way, we all have to watch our backs and prepare for the worst.
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