The Art of Negative Reviews
Negative reviews serve different groups in different ways.
If you’re leaving a negative review, maybe the act of catharsis is enough; you tear down a business, call them out as the trash they are, and if you warn someone else against suffering the same fate as you, all the better.
If you’re a review reader, as mentioned, you might glean insights into a product or experience and decide that your time and money is best spent elsewhere. Or you’ll decide, with this new information, I can still take the risk.
If you’re a business owner, you might learn of some unknown deficiencies, areas that have been ignored and need improvement. Or you might just be hurt. You might take it personally. You might swipe back with an owner response.
But what about when you aren’t the owner but are still invested in the business or entity that’s on the receiving end of some rough reviews? That’s when you need to get crafty.
Graphic Retaliation
If you’re a longtime reader of this blog, then you may already know where this is going. In the past we’ve covered Sub Par Parks, a collection of tourism-styled posters (books, calendars, etc.), inspired both by the beauty of the National Parks Service and the one star reviews so many parks receive. Designer Amber Share is an avid traveler through the parks system and took the opportunity to juxtapose unfair or unrealistic reviews with the iconic imagery of the parks.
But now, a new entry into the field comes from across the pond.
Similar to Share’s experience, Sally Mitchell was shocked to come across negative Tripadvisor reviews about Mevagissey, the U.K. harbor village where she lives.
"I had time on my hands and managed to get myself into this mischief. I live just near the harborfront, and it's a very beautiful place to live–so when I saw these one-star reviews, I thought there seemed to be a bit of disconnect with peoples' experiences and how I find this place as my home." (Newsweek)
As we Review Partiers know, someone’s pure chaotic hatred, condensed into an internet review, can be just the seed you need to grow a bit of comedy. And that is precisely what Mitchell has done.
Just as Share did before, Mitchell has employed excellent graphic design skills and combined vivid visuals with the lackluster language of the negative reviews.
As you might expect, these designs have become something of a hit online. Is it schadenfreude that these negative words are being used to promote what they originally bashed? Probably, to some extent. There’s also the sense of humor of the day, where sarcasm, deadpan, and absurdism run ragtag through our pop-culture-addled minds.
So. If you’re interested in a few prints yourself, GO HERE. We’re not making anything off of it, but we’re happy to share in the fun.
