I can't remember how or when or through whom I discovered The Oatmeal, but it was probably the best day of my life. It was definitely at least the best day of my week, whenever it was. For those of you who are unfamiliar (I can't imagine there are very many of you), you might say The Oatmeal is a serialized graphic representation of web designer Matthew Inman's internal dialog with the world around him. Consisting of a collection of simply rendered comic panels, The Oatmeal includes very many instructional info-graphs. "How to Pet a Kitty" is a perennial favorite:
Not all of Inman's humor is lighthearted; sometimes, it can get a little dark. But that's okay, I still admire his execution. The drawings aren't pretty, and the copy isn't complex or erudite, but something about his comics' cadence and simplicity is pitch perfect.
Just in case you're not sold, here are some more instructional guides to persuade you:
"How To Use A Semicolon"
"How To Tell If The Weather Is Going To Be Really Bad"
"How To Fix Any Computer"
"How To Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting To Kill You"
this is not a how-to but it's funny and about designers
I think that your examples are great. I was hoping to take a more fun/funny approach but have been stumped on how exactly to do it with my topics. These have given me some insight in being able to take that spin. I also enjoy that all of these examples aren't step by step, "do this, do that" but more giving advice, which was another thing I was interested in. It is interesting to see how they approached how to's without making them dry and giving them some flare.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The guide on how to tell if you're cat is plotting to kill you obviously doesn't have a purpose other than to entertain, but the guide about properly using a semicolon is a different story. It's practical, and the humor is sort of sneaky which makes it even funnier.
DeleteThanks for introducing me...I had never heard of Oatmeal. Two cats here...I like to say my wife has two cats and I don't have any, so I have broken every "rule" here...LOL.
ReplyDeleteIt's cool! All the rules pretty much fly out the window when there are cats involved, anyway.
DeleteLove this! I cannot wait to share this with my coworker who is the mom (slave) of three cats.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it! Here's one for all of the dog people:
Deletehttp://theoatmeal.com/comics/dog_paradox
Disclaimer: Although the general tone of this one is touching, it does rely on some seriously crude visuals/text to get the point across. Keep that in mind before you open it up at work/in front of small children!
Love the "How to Use a Semicolon"..very funny but at the same time he drives the point home. It is always nice when rather dry information is presented with some humor.
ReplyDeleteMe too. I'm hoping to do something similar to this with my own project, but I'm having a hard time coming up with ideas....
Delete