If you’re not following Art Chantry on Facebook, you should be

Art Chantry has really blossomed as a design theory writer on Facebook, where he occassionally posts long bits of design theory, including this gem posted today:

“almost all graphic designers i’ve ever met will state up front that their purpose in life is the make the world ‘more beautiful.

so, when they think of those “publisher’s clearing house” mailers, they get angry and offended by them. they always say something like “oh, i wish they would DO SOMETHING about them!” as if they were an insult to the design profession.

the truth of those mailers (like the ‘house’ brand) is that they have studied it very carefully. few things in the advertising world have been studied as well as direct mail. those ugly packages WORK.

at one point, the PubClearHouse folks decided to ‘improve’ the design and ‘appearance’ of the mailer. they even hired a big shot design studio to do it. they cleaned it up and made it look real pretty. they were mailed out and the response DROPPED dramatically. it was a disaster. so, the next year, they went back to the old ugly look. sales were suddenly better than ever. lesson learned.”

Read the rest on Art’s facebook.