written by john c ashworth, ma
People say white is boring. I say, think different. Yes, I'm stealing, for now, the marketing phrase coined by Apple, because it is this company, it's founder, and one it's lead designers who have inspired this post.
I have been re-reading the biography of Steve Jobs, and in the most recent section of the book, the author, Walter Isaacson, describes the development of the first iPod. Of course, we are all now well aware of the distinctive white Apple headphones. However, what you might not realize is how bold this decision truly was at a time when every other headphone on the market was black, and all advisers to the project said, "We can't do white headphones. Every other headphone on the market is black. No one will like them."
Going against the grain of conformity is a hallmark of Steve Jobs' and Apple. And it is the reason we currently enjoy such style and elegance in their product line. What I found extremely interesting in the telling of the story was a brief description of how Apple's lead designer, Johnny Ive, feels about the color of white. I hope you will find it as inspiring as I did. And if you're a car salesman like myself, I hope you will use this insight to your advantage when describing this beautiful, pure, and elegant color to your prospective customers.
"White isn't just a neutral color. It is so pure and quiet, bold and conspicuous. And yet so inconspicuous at the same time."
From here, I looked up the word, "conspicuous" and the definition reads...obvious to the eye or mind. Without any attempt at concealment. Completely obvious.
I then looked up the synonym for "conspicuous" and found the following:
"manifest, apparent, salient, striking, demonstrative, prominent, notable, pronounced. flagrant, notorious, distinct, visible, obvious, evident, unmistakable, palpable, self-evident, clear, patent."
Then I looked up "patent" and found the following:
"positive, explicit, emphatic, decided, formal, and categorical"
My advice?
Find in these words your own personal passion for this beautiful, bold and unmistakable color and let that passion sing through you to your customers. Your excitement will be contagious, and will lead to more sales.
-John
