Every now and again I like to do these wee updates on the business for anyone who’s listening, so here’s a new one on a poster design I’ve come up with. Why are we doing a new design when the old one is perfect?
What was the original philosophy behind that one? Let’s explore together.
Background
I am not a designer and I respect the hell out of those that are. From my own entries into the field I can see how hard it is to sweat over details as well as have an overarching theme which motivates every piece. It must also be hard dealing with clients in general who are impossible to deal with and always try to underpay.
What I love very much though is working on my skills and trying out new activities. That’s why I’ve been trying to learn a bit about the way design works so I can create some of my own pieces in a quick way. This is also motivated by my overall plan to keep this business human and not use AI for anything public facing. It’s also a sort of branding thing that we are a human company that is doing a task that has traditionally been done by humans going back to the days when Grug first showed Dugg where to find good berries.
Why the new poster design?
The last one is good and manages to get guests onto my walking tours, the main reason behind any of this.
But it’s limited in a couple of ways, in that it doesn’t include the times or the meeting place, there’s very little in the way of negative space so it’s a bit chaotic, and it’s all the one font which can be a little bit too amateur. I’m open to a bit of amateurism which is why I do so much of this copy and graphic design stuff myself initially. After all, amateur comes from the Latin ‘amare’ – to love – and I am a lover, not a fighter.
The new design seemed like a great way to get across when the tours are without any artifice. It’s not too flashy, with only a slight bit of whimsy to it, and the idea of doing it on a monthly basis is because I’ve got a whole business plan around doing different tours every now and again, possibly monthly.
Specialised walking tours
Part of why I went independent from other walking tour companies I’d previously worked with is because the offerings were all basically the same. Everyone did Old Town tours, Harry Potter tours, and Ghost tours. I wanted to tell stories about other details in the city that I found intensely interesting, as did other guides. My long-term friend Roisin had a women’s tour so we got that put on. She also suggested a True Crime tour, so that’s on, too. I came up with the LGBTQ+ and the Meadows. These are all different from the way most tour operators in Edinburgh function. I like to think it gives us a unique selling point. That’s what I’ve tried to reflect in the new poster.
The idea of doing physical marketing in a world which is increasingly going digital is also part of this. While other companies are shying away from the real world and trying to replace everything with AI, we are fully embracing the fact there is still a gorgeous and beautiful world out there which is worth adventuring in and seeing what it has to offer. Want to come and see a bit of it?
Possible criticisms
I have noticed I’ve not put in that it’s “Pay What You Think It’s Worth” but you know what? I think that’s the sort of happy detail a person can discover when booking as opposed to being the main selling point that draws them in. Our tours are intriguing to intelligent attractive people with good virtues. As a result, I don’t think anyone has ever failed to give enough in the past year.
Conclusion
This was a quick design project to come up with a neat and clever design that can help to sell walking tours for myself as well as for others. I believe this fits the bill and variations of it will get made as the months progress. If you are a guide with an idea, I’d encourage you to get in touch via our socials because your tour could appear on one of these if it’s got legs. If you’d like to display these, get in touch and we’ll make it happen.
The writer of this piece is only slightly melting in the present sun, which is another good reason not to have a computer do your design work because it’s killing the planet.
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