Dull Subject? Go For Graphics

Paul Krugman's article in The New York Times Sunday Magazine covers the dullest of subjects, economists, at the greatest of length. Yet it looked downright inviting in print, thanks to clever illustrations by Jason Lutes and creative graphic design. (The online version, alas, can't do the print layout justice.) For marketers who must deal with topics such as Roth 401(k)s and intentionally defective trusts, that's a lesson worth heeding.

How did most economists fail to notice the real estate bubble and the coming of the Great Recession? Krugman suggests that economists left and right simply felt the everyday world was too messy and illogical, unworthy of scholarly attention.

In recent, rueful economics discussions, an all-purpose punch line has become “nobody could have predicted. . . .” It’s what you say with regard to disasters that could have been predicted, should have been predicted and actually were predicted by a few economists who were scoffed at for their pains.

My favorite Lutes drawing: This depiction of "freshwater" economists, who believe the markets solve everything, and "saltwater" economists, who believe we'll do better in the markets if we use shark repellent.