Cliche
Cliches are overused, trite expressions. Ordinary expressions and/or ideas become cliches when they are overused to the point of loosing their meaning. An example of the cliche “holding the world in your hand” is depicted in the image above. The phrase “the whole world in your hands” barely registers because we’ve heard this remark so often.
Metaphor
A metaphor is language that compares seemingly unrelated subjects in order to suggest a resemblance. Metaphors can be used to make writing and imagery more interesting or entertaining. For example, when people describe a bad toupee as a rug they are speaking in metaphor. Equating your subject with something apparently unrelated helps guide your audience to a deeper and more specific understanding of that subject. People will grasp the wretchedness of a toupee much more quickly if you call it a rug than they will if you just describe it as unattractive. Crispin & Porter produced the minimalist campaign for a homeless mission in Miami shown above. By equating a dumpster to a kitchen, a shopping cart to a closet and a bus bench as a bed a strong visual statement is made about the realities of homeless life.
