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Comedy writer Ariane, from the United Kingdom, told Bored Panda that the shorter the joke, the better it tends to be. In other words, the fact that El Arroyo’s sign has very limited space for just a few words can actually be a huge advantage. Especially as people’s attention spans keep getting shorter and shorter.
“There's a saying: 'Brevity is the soul of wit'. Often, keeping things short and snappy is the key to making them funny,” the comedy expert explained to us. "Even more so these days, as people have short attention spans and there's so much content competing for their attention.”
However, just because a joke is short doesn’t automatically mean that it’s going to get the audience roaring with laughter. The comedian has to strike a balance between brevity and being informative.
“It's great to be concise, but when making a short joke or one-liner, ensure you've included all the information necessary. There's no point in making your quip short if it doesn't contain enough info for the joke to work!” the comedy writer told Bored Panda.
“Also, it's all the more important to make sure you don't stumble over your words when delivering the quip, as there are fewer of them,” she added that there’s another element to keep track of when you take your jokes from text and turn them into speech.
In Ariane’s view, whether we prefer short-form comedy like El Arroyo’s or long-form jokes is all down to individual taste.
“Some comics love telling long rambling stories, and others tell snappy one-liners. I personally like one-liners but I find that watching a comic come out with 20 minutes of them can get a bit wearing. Each to their own!”
Some time ago, Lisa McLendon, the William Allen White Professor of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas explained to Bored Panda what the most important things are when making any sign.
"Clarity and brevity are essential. You only have a second or two to get your message across, so you want people to understand quickly with zero confusion," the professor told Bored Panda that signs have to be to-the-point and without any unnecessary details that could distract from their message.
"Don’t carve an error in stone. It’s embarrassing and expensive to fix. Proofreading before you produce, whether it’s stone or not, is absolutely necessary," she noted that proofreading is cheaper and easier than fixing costly mistakes down the line.
"Choose your font with readability in mind. It should be clear and readable at a distance; you don’t want to make people puzzle through a swirly script," the professor added that the font can make or break any sign.
