Have you heard the expression "less is more"? This expression is familiar to artists, who know that their fans are busy. Artists keep this busyness in mind when planning their art. Rather than having a busy scene and a great deal of information for people to process when they look at a picture, many artists will have one or two main subjects in a picture. A piece of art might feature a house with a beautiful sunset behind it, for example. People would likely be fascinated by the contrasting colors in this art. This would be a simple picture with very little information for viewers to process.

This concept also applies in business. Prospective customers have active lives. They have jobs, families, and activities that they are involved in outside of work. Their children may be involved in activities of their own. With all of this busyness, they do not have time to read lengthy explanations or testimonials. The simpler a message is, the more effective it is likely to be.

Using pictures is one way to say very little and still have an effective message. Every day, people are bombarded with information to read. They read the headlines before leaving for work, for example, so that they will have something to talk about at the office. At work, they read the memo they received. When they leave for their lunch break, however, they see a sign featuring one word--coffee. Under the word is a steaming cup of coffee and an arrow pointing to the coffee shop across the street. The sign lets people know that there is coffee available inside.

Another way to communicate to people that something is important while saying very little is to use bright colors. People are accustomed to seeing signs in black and white. Colored signs stand out. Brightly colored signs are often used to advertise garage sales. Drivers are busy and have to focus on their driving. If a sign features too much information and requires too much reading, they will pass it up, and the people holding the garage sale will not get any business. If, however, the sign simply says "garage sale" with an arrow pointing in the direction of the sale, the sellers have the potential for success.

Signs advertising a business might say "Want Money?", for example. A sign like this would get people's attention, since people are interested in learning how they can make money. Many people would like to know how they can earn money from home. If you have a work-from-home business, find simple, creative ways to advertise it. Your advertising efforts, combined with word of mouth, should help your business grow.