Sustain Mystery, But Not for Too Long

What internationally respected designer may be as responsible as Valentine’s Day cards for popularizing the heart symbol to proclaim love? A hint: He created the “I ♥ NY” logo.
     All right, I won’t prolong the mystery. It’s Milton Glaser. He designed the “I ♥ NY” logo for a New York State Department of Commerce tourism campaign. Among countless distinctions, Mr. Glaser is also responsible for store layout, store signage, and logo designs at supermarkets, restaurants, shopping malls, and other retail environments.
     Mr. Glaser might very well have not supported my decision to reveal his name to you so promptly. In the documentary “Milton Glaser: Inform & Delight,” he attributes the success of “I ♥ NY” and many of his other creations to what he calls “sustained mystery,” whereby a consumer absorbs the design message better because of needing to figure out what the design means.
     When done well, sustained mystery is surprisingly effective. For example, mystery arouses the consumer’s interest in a small to midsize retail business that wants to distinguish itself from larger competitors. Research findings from Indiana University and University of Colorado-Boulder indicate the value of a mystery ad format, in which you wait until the end to announce the retailer’s name. Start off with an unusual story or absurd humor that dramatizes the category of retailer, but hooks the ad’s viewer or listener into thinking “Who’s this commercial for, anyway?”
     The researchers found mystery ads were significantly more effective than traditional ads in making the name-category link memorable. Don’t sustain the mystery for too long, though. Be sure to announce the name at the end boldly. Advertising pioneer David Ogilvy said long ago, “Use the name within the first ten seconds.” Mystery ads change that advice to, “Drill in the name within the last five seconds.”
     In design, too, prolonged mystery can lead to misdirection. Recall that the “I ♥ NY” logo was intended to promote New York State tourism. It turned out the mystery had more to do with the “NY” than with the “♥.” The T-shirts, tea cups, and other paraphernalia were interpreted as touting New York City. The association was so strong that, after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Mr. Glaser designed another version of the logo, reading “I ♥ NY More Than Ever,” with a small black spot on the heart, positioned to symbolize the World Trade Center’s location on Manhattan Island.

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