Is there a difference?

As communications get increasingly complex, I think it’s worth defining a distinction. 

If we’re in marketing, we strategize and produce both. But for very different purposes, and for very different outcomes. And so, this distinction between ideas and information matters when we set out to develop creative briefs, to organize project schedules, arrange talent resources, to write and design and ultimately, to evaluate the end product.

For me, an idea is defined by causing the reaction, “I hadn't thought of it that way before.” This has been the provence of design and advertising since the beginning. Design and Advertising are the business of fomenting change, of changing behavior—from one set of beliefs or understanding to a different set. 

So if we are to evaluate an idea, our first question might be: Does whatever we’re looking at cause the kind of reaction, the change in behavior, we’re looking to elicit? 

But in some cases, Design and Advertising are asked not to change behavior. In this context, information simply is. A recipe is information. An annual report is information. Tech specs are information. Nutritional labeling is information. “About Us” might be information. Information enables, yes. But will information, on its own, cause such a reaction as to change behavior? (Perhaps, if the information wasn’t what we expected it to be. But then we’ve identified a potential opportunity for an idea, haven’t we?)

It’s a continuum, for sure. But that’s the point. At the onset, when we’re crafting the brief, can we distinguish what we want—an idea or information? Is the assignment to inform or to cause a reaction? 

Think of it this way: If our goal is to get someone swiftly through an interactive process, then an idea isn’t necessary. What we need is enough information and design to help them proceed. But if our goal is to contrast an interactive process from its competition, to set that experience apart, then causing a reaction—getting people to think “this is different”—makes sense. In this second case, we need an idea. 

Another: Consider a “How To” video script. Given the genre, an emphasis on informing seems apt. Our goal isn’t to rethink the wheel, just demonstrate how one works. But what if our category is overrun with information, and there are a dozen adequate demonstrations of wheels? Perhaps we don’t need a video at all. What sort of idea do we need?

Maybe that’s the point.

An assignment to produce information isn’t asking us to challenge known systems and frameworks, but an assignment for an idea most definitely is asking to cause such reactions.