Brands and tone of voice 41
while clarity is an essential prerequisite for understanding,
simplicity often means taking away the very bits that made the
message interesting in the first place.The line between simplicity
and simplistic is precariously fine; crossing it can have disastrous
consequences for understanding.
While the pursuit of clarity may deliver simplicity as a by-
product, this isn’t always the case – it all depends on your
audience and context. When I’m writing I’m constantly torn
between the (perfectly laudable) desire to simplify, and an
awareness of the complexity with which my audience actually
talks. By substituting clarity for simplicity the problem dissolves.
Paradoxically, an emphasis on clarity may mean leaving some
aspects of your message open to interpretation, ready to be com-
pleted in the mind of your reader. A clear but open-ended
message can sometimes make a lot more sense than either a
simpler version that leaves out essential details, or a lengthy
explanation that tries to nail down every semantic loose end,
boring its audience to death along
the way. If the message is right for
the audience, and the audience is
right for the message, they’ll get it –
simple as that. It’s a powerful realis-
ation, but like many such
realisations, frequently forgotten. Exactly what ‘Just Do It’ has to
do with fashion gear presented as sportswear isn’t clear, but it
works. Put the right cues in front of the right audience and
meaning will detonate in their minds.
In a nutshell:
G Clarity is an essential prerequisite for understanding.
G Simplicity often means taking away the very bits that made
the message interesting in the first place.
G Don’t be afraid to use a few extra words to create the right
tone.
if the message is right
for the audience, they’ll
get it
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