Tamara spent a day at D&AD last week, checking out their Short Form Copywriting course. She shares a couple of nuggets from the day here.
“There are two types of writer. Those who write, and those who talk."
Workshop leader Will Awdry puts himself in the latter category, and after a day spent revising ‘Short Form Copywriting for Impact’, I think I do too.
As Writing Club, we use words to deliver action. As its newest member, I figured a day spent in the D&AD basement would be as good a place as any to immerse myself in the art of using less for more.
It’s phenomenal what you can do without a WiFi log in, and actually talking about ways to use words taught me far more than an average day spent in front of a screen.
For example: have you ever noticed the amount of collusion in medical advertising? Though it’s a way of avoiding responsibility, remedy pushers give questions, never answers. Making you come up with a response is guaranteed mental rental – for an extra second at least.
Pair that with the knowledge that the average Londoner remembers 1 in 13.5K adverts a day, and you’re looking a whole load of question marks.
Did I leave with an idea that’ll make the next Writing Club ad that 1 in 13.5K? A day of learning from peers and mentors left me feeling closer. My work was challenged and given new legs from fresh eyes, praised and questioned in equal measure.
Writers learn to work in solitude, which meant that sharing ideas proved both invigorating and challenging. No-one could remember the time when open plan offices actually encouraged collaboration, and it made feedback all that more potent.
As with all good ideas, I’ve been mulling over the ones this particular D&AD session left me with. They’re sinking and swilling, sure to be dredged up when it’s time for our next 1 in 13,500.