The Chicken or the Egg?

“Come with me.”

The associate abruptly turned and confidently walked into a sea of customers. I trailed behind him like a caboose on a train.

We arrived at our destination—a rack of hundreds of lipsticks. He turned again and closely inspected my face, searching every aspect of it as an archeologist might scrutinize a newly discovered hieroglyphic.

I looked back at him. Young, in his mid-twenties. He had a dazzling smile of perfect white teeth. His make-up was flawless; his foundation evenly applied. His concealer concealed. His eyeliner smart and straight. He looked amazing. Standing next to him, I felt down-right frumpy. Yes, I had definitely come to the right place.

As we all know, there are things that need occasional updating: software, bathrooms, wardrobes, resumes, and mindsets. And my make-up.

In short, it was time for an update to my look.

So, a couple of weekends ago, I went to a large mall with an even larger beauty outlet. There were thousands of make-up brands throughout the store. This place was so big I needed a map. And it was packed with scores of people of all ages and skin types testing samples and gazing critically into close-up mirrors.

I’ll be frank. I hate this. But it’s necessary. Like it or not, we live in a visual world. From faces to marketing materials, we care deeply about how things look.?

But is the visual more important than the message?

Which comes first, design or copy? The chicken or the egg?

It’s a question as old as time.

There may be people that disagree with me, but as a marketing strategist, I know that a marketing campaign that has the most meaningful and informative copy could still use the boost of well-placed and colorful design. And vice versa.

Here’s the thing. Even with clever copy and a compelling message, words can lose their impact without a strong foundation of design—just like perfectly made-up eyes can lose something without a well-matched foundation to anchor the face.

Back to the make-up superstore. (Seriously, I am a woman, and I had no idea there were like 4,000 make-up lines! Even Lady Gaga has a make-up line!)

For twenty minutes, Reginald held up containers and tubes, applying make-up to the top of my hand for both of us to critically review. He discarded unsatisfactory colors and selected highlights that would accentuate. His careful eye pulled seeming disparate factors into a pleasing whole.

That’s what good design can do for a strong message: make it more cohesive and visually appealing. In other words, make it “pop.” But you need to have a clear and compelling message to go with it. Something that moves people to action. This is especially true in healthcare marketing. Otherwise, it’s just a pretty picture.

So, is it the chicken or the egg? Actually, it’s both. Without the chicken, there is no egg. Without the egg, there is no chicken. It is a collaboration.

So, to all my design colleagues—and especially to Reginald—I tip my hat. You draw attention to our messages, uplift our campaigns, and make the world a brighter and more beautiful place to live. Thank you!

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I work with healthcare organizations who want to craft winning marketing strategies to solve their revenue challenges. Contact me at [email protected].

Photo by?Enrico Mantegazza?on?Unsplash

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