I run into way too many overly fancy ads that (ab)use stock images, like if that guaranteed success. Well let me tell you something: it doesn't. A picture can be worth a thousand words, true. But it can also fight against the few words you've so carefully created and completely defeat the purpose of your copy. This is something I've grown tired of. And guess what, your readers too.

So when a friend approached me asking for a flyer design to advertise a national student conference, I knew exactly where I wanted to begin: the title. So I spent about an hour just staring at it. What did the "Opportunities and Prospects" wording mean? I looked for a single, unifying theme across the entire agenda. The idea that Colombia is a country with great untapped potential slowly came to me. It was being reinforced by every topic under discussion.

That's when I began thinking of objects that reminded me of opportunities and potential. I thought of opening doors, keys and paths. Because paths have been way too overdone, I moved on with the keys. Something had to be special about this key. How about the country itself? How about the key (this conference, the youth, our discussions) becoming the only way to unveil the potential of our troubled nation?

Good enough.

The copy married the image and this is what came out.