That Oscars screw-up could have been avoided with this one design change
Large lettering could have saved a whole lot of Oscars drama.
Actor Warren Beatty walked onstage at Sunday's Oscars meaning to announce the winner for best picture, but in his hand was a card with the name of Emma Stone, who had already been declared best actress that night for her role in La La Land. The photo above shows Beatty's card was not the one meant to end the show, but reading such small type in the heat of the moment -- while assuming you were handed the right slip of paper -- is a lot to ask. Seemingly puzzled, he showed stage-mate Faye Dunaway the card, and she said "La La Land."
Problem: La La Land did not win. After a moment of historic confusion, producer Jordan Horowitz held up the real card, which declared "Moonlight" the winner.
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And here, as pointed out by Redditor ShinyTile, is where you can see how design would have helped. Had Beatty been able to see the words "actress in a leading role" at the bottom of his card, the problem would have been more apparent. Sure, there would have been some confusion as he asked for the correct card, but the world wouldn't have had to watch La La Land folks give acceptance speeches that were not meant to be.
Maybe, ShinyTile suggests, design the cards like this:
He's happy to dish out design tips to the academy, for a price that starts at $30,000.
Topics Oscars
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
