Once upon a time, there was a man who decided to write a book. He came up with an idea and started putting words to paper. After some professional editing, he had the book published. And everyone lived happily ever after.
Only that is not the way the story ended. It is actually my own experience with the only book I have written and had published, Leather Compass (shameless Amazon link here). In a perfect world, it would be a bestseller with minimal effort on my part. Unfortunately, the book never gained traction outside of family and friends, which is just as well.
There is a myriad of reasons why the book didn’t perform as I hoped it would, the biggest being that I simply rushed through the process. After four years in development, I just wanted to be done with the thing and have it sold. In other words, I didn’t really take the time to cultivate it into a marketable product.
What I did learn from Leather Compass is that producing any kind of communication–printed, broadcast, spoken–involves a lot more than just slapping words and pictures onto a document and calling it good. There has to be a purpose to the message, one that is impactful, emotional, and compels the intended audience to take action. That is the approach I take to the brochure I am designing for the ICC.
I try not to rely too much on cliches, but when it comes to a project like this, it really is a marathon and not a sprint. I do not expect to get it right the first, second, or even third time. I do, however, expect that the more attempts I make, the better it will get.