Re: Brochure final layout

Dave

The problem with the smiley's was fixed last night and re-uploaded to our
ftp server.

The exclamation mark (shriek) is used on both the front and back footnotes.
I think it is better left as it is to emphasise that this it IS a joke. Some
people just might not get it without some emphasis. It was added after two
people in my test market weren¹t sure whether it was serious.

I like the use of the smiley¹s as they give a slightly nerdy connect to a
large part of your target market. It is one of a half dozen visual and
textural tricks to give the message context and to connect with the reader.
Maybe they should have been done in Courier?

At the same time what I tried to do was to make the ad a little less serious
than other material I¹ve seen ­ to appeal to a wider audience and to make
people understand that while PostgreSQL may well be the world¹s most
advanced open source database, it is also highly accessible for people,
whatever their IT background.

This has been at the heart of my company¹s once:radix project, as is Mike
Ellsworth¹s Younicycle, and no doubt there are others moving in the same
direction. Popularity and ubiquity are key to the success of any open source
project. Getting the message right is almost as important as getting the
product right. And getting the message right is, in my view, a cornerstone
of this advocacy list.

Over the years that I¹ve been a user of PostgreSQL, I¹ve observed a lowering
of the high-tech walls that have limited non-geek access to it. I¹d like to
see that continue. If my view is shared with others, I¹m willing to do more
to help.

So as for the smiley¹s:

Dave and Josh would like to see them go. Visually, I think the headline
works better with them in. If others have a problem with them, I¹ll take
them out and will re-send the job to the printer. I really don¹t mind either
way. You¹re the client!

Object lesson: If enough people think it doesn¹t look right, it¹s probably
wrong.

> Very nice. The smiley's look a bit weird, with the - and : the
> opposite way round from normal. I'd be inclined to remove them
> altogether. Also, maybe lose the shriek at the end of the 'No
> elephants were harmed' line, so it's a more authentic looking
> statement, but still obviously a joke.

Regards

Rob Napier