The Elusive Alchemy of Making It Pop

There are certain phrases that arrive like an aftershock—seemingly harmless, but capable of destabilizing an entire day. “Just make it pop” is one such phrase. It enters the chat—casual, breezy, devoid of context—and suddenly I am plunged into a philosophical spiral.

What is “pop”? A color? A feeling? A metaphysical state? Does “pop” refer to brightness? Contrast? Motion? Should the element literally jump out? Should it sparkle? Should it quietly demand attention like a very well-dressed man entering a silent room?

And more importantly: to whom must it pop? The client? The user? The CEO’s teenage nephew?

I stare at the screen. I toggle the saturation. I increase the drop shadow. I add a tasteful hover animation. I remove it. I sigh. I place my hooves gently on the keyboard and do what we all do in these moments: I improvise something visually arresting, upload a screenshot, and await the inevitable response—“Yes! That’s exactly what I meant.”

It never is. But somehow, against all logic, I’ve made it pop.