Have you ever come across the book ‘Damn Good Advice’ written by George Lois?
No? Well you had better get hunting it down and purchase it quickly! Why you may ask? Because this has got to be one of the best books I have ever read and I would recommend it to anyone who needs advice on being creative. I have to say that George Lois is now one of my biggest heroes and I admire him greatly!
When you read this book you will slap yourself with disbelief but you’ll also be annoyed that you didn’t think of some of the ideas yourself. Well, that was my first reaction. But then I started to laugh because of some of the things he has done; he has been extremely eccentric with some ideas but then other times he has been really simplistic but every aspect of his idea has been effective.
He sounds like a genius, doesn’t he? Well, I’m not the only fan of George Lois. Here are some quotes from people who you may recognise who also think that George Lois is a genius.
“If I hadn’t taken George Lois’ damn good advice 25 yeas ago, I’d probably be poor today.”
Tommy Hilfiger – American Fashion Designer
“If you really want to get in the game, you better think like George Lois thinks.”
Billie Jean King – American former World No. 1 Professional Tennis Player
“Lois’ concept of the ‘Big Idea’ revolutionized media communications and continues to inspire generations of creative directors, including me. George Lois is my hero.”
Jean-Paul Goude – French Graphic Designer, Illustrator, Photographer and Advertising Film Director
With big names such as these, it’s no wonder that George Lois and his ‘damn good advice’ have become so popular in the advertising world. As our Head of Social Media would say: “It’s network science, mate!”
I suppose it’s ok for me to sit her typing away about how amazing his book is and how George Lois is my new hero but why should you believe me when I’ve not told you much about it. Well… here we go.
Here are three examples of some of my favourite pieces of advice from ‘Damn Good Advice’.
1) Always go for the Big Idea – To be a master communicator, words and images must catch people’s eyes, penetrate their minds, warm their hearts, and cause them to act!
2) To get that first Big Break, you can’t just brag that you’re “great.” – To get that first stepping-stone job, you must prove you have talent. You must show some examples of work that shows your real potential.
3) To create great work, here’s how you must spend your time:
1% Inspiration I don’t care how talented you are. Justifing and selling your work is
9% Perspiration what separates the sometimes good creative thinker from the
90% Justification consistently great one.
These are just three points that I chose from over 100 tips in George Lois’ book. Can you imagine what else is hidden between the pages of this book? Why don’t you read it and find out?
You’ll regret it if you don’t.
