Churchill penned more words than Dickens and Shakespeare combined. In this post our guest author, David Kightley, explains how in graphic design it takes only a single word to create a lasting legacy.
That’s quite a claim. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965), statesman and wartime British prime minister, produced a staggering volume of words. In addition to those famous speeches and quotations he wrote over forty books along with the normal memos and letters. Quite a formidable achievement for a guy who took on the Nazis, painted all those pictures, smoked that many huge cigars and drank so much in his lifetime!
Famous quote that still rings true today!
Of design he once said: “Design things well in the first place as consequences of bad design often last”. He may of course have been thinking more of viaducts, buildings, aircraft and mulberry harbours, but the thrust of his cutting one-liner is just as valid today in the world of graphic design and in particular the creative design process for a corporate brand or refresh.
When a single word is a brand in itself!
Mention of the word brand and we think automatically of a logo, emblem or motif device often made more memorable by the application of a complementary emotive colour palette. Many such brand creations are a combination of a logo, name and descriptor/tagline to convey the nature of the product or level of service provided. Sometimes though it all comes down to a single word known as a wordmark, often the name of its founder as in the likes of WH Smith (since 1792), Boots (1849), Harrods (1824) and Sainsbury’s (1869) along with a string of other household names.
Special characteristics of a wordmark design
That single word is though often a creative masterpiece in itself requiring a careful choice of colour, typeface, serif or non-serif, height, letter spacing, stylised capital and even a ligature or two to add a dash of individuality and ownership. In design and print, ligatures are the rather subtle or sometimes bold connection of two letters joined together either at the top, centre or foot of the characters.
To make your mark have a word with DSD today!
Whatever your branding requirements, whether it be a standalone logo device, three-part brand or a bespoke wordmark why not have a word today with Essex-based Dan Summers Design (DSD) on 01245 890238. Just say ‘hello’ to Dan in his Chelmsford studio to start the process of creating an effective and desirable brand that stands the test of time!
Depending upon which criteria are applied; Sir Winston Churchill published 43 books filling 72 volumes. Word count directly attributable to him of around 13 million with a total collection of writings and speeches exceeding 50 million. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) on an ‘all-works’ basis accrued 4.6 million words and the standard count of William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) 37 ‘complete works’ totalled 884,421 words whilst some works may have been co-written or lost. Longevity of current-day legacy brands as yet undetermined!
