Don’t Show What It Produces. Show What It Represents.

INKTOBER DAY 8: STINKY

When something smells bad, we don't always have to show the smell.

We can show what the smell represents.

A smell can be so strong that it almost takes a shape.

So instead of drawing something that produces a bad smell, I tried something more subtle.

I used the nose itself.

We expect to see two dark holes.

But what if we replace what normally belongs inside them?

One hole becomes a silhouette.

The other becomes a speech bubble.

Now the holes are no longer just holes.

They become part of the message.

This is one of the things I love about working with holes in visual metaphors.

A hole is an empty space.

But when we change what we expect to find inside it, that empty space can become something else.

And suddenly, something that was supposed to be invisible becomes visible.

So today's tip:

Don't always show what something produces. Show what it represents.

And sometimes, if the smell is strong enough…

give it a shape.