The Bearded Lady and The Drunk Model

Do you ever drive by a restaurant, take a brief look at it, and decide that you would never go there? You can’t put your finger on it, but there’s something about the general appearance that makes your stomach uneasy?

That’s how I feel about 70% of the catalogs I get in the mail. Though I know what makes my stomach uneasy. When I open a catalog, I first look for the infamous bearded lady. This is a picture of a woman who looks like she has a 5-o’clock shadow. This is because their printer is pulling back on the cyan, magenta, and yellow to reduce costs, and pushes black to thicken the images up.

Secondly, I compare two of the same products side by side. I am looking at two of the same product shots right now, that are about an inch apart in the catalog. One contains a white dress worn by a rosy-cheeked woman. The other contains what looks like a yellow, aged dress, and the same woman who looks like she’s had one too many cocktails.

I blame this on the CEO/president of the printing company that printed this particular piece. He/she has made it clear that their top priority is driving costs down to either 1.) Drive profits or 2.) Auction their new customers into the door.

Next time you receive a catalog, see if it makes you feel uneasy about the products.