Is It a Phase or Not?

The Emily Program is a St. Paul-based for-profit treatment program for people with eating disorders. I've critiqued their parking signs in the past, but that wasn't a serious comment on their communication efforts.

Their new billboards, however, fail the glance test.


When I look at this sign, especially if I'm driving by in a car, what I see is "a teenage phase" and the Emily Program logo. I doubt that's what they were wanting from the campaign.

Note to the designer: Put the words you want everyone to remember in the biggest type size.

In this case, maybe you could have dropped the word "teenage" altogether: "An eating disorder is NOT A PHASE." The audience already associates the word "phase" with teenagers, so it's seven letters of superfluousness squatting in the midst of your prime real estate.