The act of writing can sometimes be intimidating for those working in the visual field. Yet this is only one side of the reality that should not be perpetuated as a given fact. Oftentimes, any feeling of inconfidence is the result of unfamiliarity and the presumption that writing is either inherently difficult or, worse, is something that a designer/artist best to avoid.

 

Our Copywriting class at the Visual Communication Design course aims to break that spell. As part of the Creative Advertising streaming program, the students are taught about the basics of copywriting and its primary function as a marketing device. The emphasis, however, is on the creative side of copywriting. In this regard the students are also reminded of the fact that writing itself is visual, and that their approach towards it should be no less than the attention to all the other supporting elements within a particular design.

As an initiative to highlight this aspect, we invited two guest speakers for an off-campus sharing session at Spasial, a well-known Bandung creative space. Ardo Ardiana is a multidisciplinary practitioner whose resume includes creative director for Unkl347, creative consultant for Ministry of Creative and Arts Singapore, as well as being the founder of Spasial himself. Ing Landjanun is co-founder of WADEZIG! clothing, whose artistic and wordsmith skills also appear in outputs by The Babybirds, a creative studio focusing on family activities and apparel design.

The topics being shared covered a wide range of areas where creative copywriting is an important factor. From relating typography’s key function and its various implementations upon any given surface, to outlining the significance of word choice for effective headlines and immediate visual impact, both presenters made an engaging morning for the students.

 

The students’ enthusiasm was most apparent during the Q&A and discussion session. Queries regarding the speakers’ working processes were asked alongside tips and advice on chosen methods and techniques. What seems to summarise some of the answers was that there is a general consensus on consistency, resilience and experimentation.

“Use your time at university to experiment,” Ardiana said. A Communications graduate, he suggested the students to “…try out new things, new approaches to your own design, and don’t be afraid to mix the digital and the analogue.”

Langdjanun, meanwhile, raised the issue of literacy – or lack thereof – among the majority of our countrymen.

“It is urgent for us to develop a good reading habit,” he implored.  

“Most people would just read the first few words,” he added, using the example of Wadezig’s Instagram account. “Then immediately submit a question about a particular product, even though the answers are clearly written on the same post or paragraph.”

Both Ardiana and Langdjanun agree that reading, as a way of accruing reference material, is a determining factor for progress, be it specific in terms of creative copywriting or as visual communication designers in general.

“Reference is key,” Ardiana concluded, “because it helps us to know what’s out there, so we have an idea to try and do something different.”