As a designer and often an advertiser, I find myself writing a fair amount of copy. Rarely do I write large bodies of informative or persuasive text, but almost daily I find myself creating headlines, slogans, and quick descriptions. In headlines and titles, there are so many trendy clichés that they have become noticeable to even the completely uninterested viewer.
Two of these annoying trends caught my attention multiple times this week. The first of which is "Gourmet." What does gourmet even mean now? I have seen cheesecake, pizza, pretzels, and even potato chips tagged as being gourmet. It used to mean set apart or high quality. This hackneyed term has been so overused that viewers don't even believe its original meaning these days. The only semblance of meaning gourmet has managed to hold to is that it refers to food. Advertisers have taken a relatively pretty word of french origin and twisted the mean nothing more than "edible."
Another annoying trend is the use of scare quotes —unnecessary quotations placed on words for emphasis. Not only is the obnoxious, it is also grammatically incorrect. Its looking like you have something to hide, when common terms are set apart with quotes —especially if you refer to something as "Gourmet." To the modern english reader, these scare quotes mean to stick two fingers in the air and read the word more slowly, as if stretching it out to search for hidden treasures within the typical meaning of the word. I have found myself guilty at times, using quotes for no apparent reason. It is something advertisers and writers in general need to be aware of so that it can be controlled.
No comments:
Post a Comment