I have often been accused of being a perfectionist. And I admit that I am. To a degree. I’m learning not everyone is as detail-oriented as I am. I’ve also been accused of expecting others to live up to my, ahem, “higher” standards. But I’m trying to get better. To quote Fight Club, I am working on developing “the ability to let that which does not matter truly slide.”
One thing I can’t let slide: misspellings and grammar mistakes. It really drives me nuts. I am AMAZED at the numerous examples I see everyday, everywhere. Books, web sites, ads, newspapers, emails, signs. You name it. They stop me in my tracks sometimes. I see one, and I can’t stop myself from turning to the next person, saying something like, “Can you believe this? This is a published piece? Who proofed this?”
Total overreaction, I know.
But I truly don’t get it. It really makes me feel like these people have no pride in their work. Maybe it’s because I spent 18 months working with a strict copy editor on a project for the Chicago Tribune. Maybe its because in college, my professors would point out typos in a poster I was in the middle of presenting to the class, after I’d worked on it for two months. Maybe I just don’t like to be wrong. I don’t know. What I do know is that I take this very seriously now. And I feel others should too.
Take a minute to read through your email before you send it. Ask someone else to read over your copy. Print out your design and read it all! Know the difference between effect and affect.
And if you need someone to proof something for you, gimme a ring. I’ve got skills.