Is Boring the New Black?

“Let’s do something really innovative,” is the battle cry of many a digital pro. Run that phrase through Google Translate and what you’ll get back is “let’s build something no one will use.”

There is almost always a dramatic inverse relationship between coolness and usability. Coolness makes designers and digital directors and sometimes EDs happy. But it will greatly diminish the number of people who engage with it.

You’re much better off telling a moving story in ascii text than having a 3-D flythrough of your new new new new thing. It’s harder though.