10 Spring Things & The Buzz Of Busy Illustrations

Thanks to editor Jay Moye at Coca-Cola Journey, I’ve had a chance to illustrate a number of wild and wacky posts by writer Charles McNair. These posts usually have a number in them: The 10 Best, My 12 Favorite, etc.

Somewhere along the line I decided to make it a personal challenge to include or somehow reference all of the points in Mr. McNair’s posts: if he mentioned 10 things, I’d figure out a way to include all 10 in my illustration.

Here’s the latest example. The official title of the post is: 10 Things That Go Better With Coke (Spring Edition!), and you can read it here on the Coca-Cola Journey website.

At this point you’re thinking: What a minute. Is this the same Mark Armstrong who’s always extolling the virtues of white space, and warning against trying to squeeze too much into an illustration? Yup, same guy, that’s me.

However… it’s a curious fact that a busy illustration crammed with details can engage readers in a big way and create some serious buzz. Anyone who’s seen a Where’s Waldo illustration knows this. 

For example: say you run a service business, and want to market yourself by saying: "There are 10 Good Reasons To Hire Us." You could "hide" those reasons in an illustration and challenge readers to find them-- then reveal what they are at the end of your post.

The challenge works better if you provide some hints. If I number the "spring things" in our illustration (below) and challenge you to name them, you'll be more apt to give it a try. 

Important note: Do not spend too much time on it! Some of Mr. McNair’s things are rather playful. Go on, give it a shot. Answers at end of post.

Here are some larger detail images:

Answers:

1. Bunnies (“Rub a lucky rabbit’s foot!… if you’re lucky, the rabbit won’t bite you!”)

2. Picnics Under Cherry Trees (“First, you need a cherry tree. If you live in Japan or Washington, D.C., you’re in the pink.”)

3. Kite-Flying (“Know why trees like spring? People feed them!… best of anything, trees like kites!”)

4. Bumblebees (“Take a length of sewing thread, throw your tiny lariat (around the bee, and watch him) happily zoom around and around…”

5. Spring Showers (“Like a big black bear that napped in a cave all winter, you’ve finally emerged from the house after football season… You need a spring shower!”)

6. Baseball & Softball (“Bound off the bench, race over the infield like a deer, and slide to a dusty stop in front of the concession stand…”)

7. Four-Leaf Clovers (“A shamrock anointed with one tiny amber drop of Coca-Cola will sprout a lucky green fourth leaf… that’s why leprechauns have pots of gold!”)

8. Spring Cleaning (“You found that corn chip you lost last July, $7.34 in coins, two melted (but edible) peppermints, plus Granny’s lost dentures!”)

9. Marshmallow Chicks (“What says spring like nibbling a marshmallow chick? Just make sure it’s marshmallow!”)

10. Dandelions (“Hey, hay fever zombie! Feel that next sneeze coming on?”)

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How many did you get? (I know: the shamrock was totally misleading– sorry!)

Anyone ever lose a kite in a tree?

What about losing a frisbee on a roof?? (I’m raising my hand.)

Any thoughts on Busy creating Buzz? Hope you’ll leave a comment.

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Illustrations tell stories on an emotional level that words can't reach. The viewer becomes an active participant in constructing those stories. That's what makes an illustration so powerful.

Mark Armstrong is an illustrator specializing in humor, branding, social media, and content marketing. You can view his portfolio in slideshow format, and watch his short video 13 Reasons To Hire An Illustrator on YouTube.