Catching the bus

Pirelli Slippers. The sheer vitality of this 1962 bus-side ad by Fletcher / Forbes / Gill remains unmatched in the history of graphic design.

The design by Alan Fletcher is brilliantly seen, enlisting the passengers on the Routemaster as live extras in the humour.

The work of Fletcher / Forbes / Gill was closely aligned with the culture of the time and its simplicity belied the high level of creativity that these influential men brought to the visual vocabulary of the 1960s.

The Hidden Persuaders

Vance Packard warned us what was going to happen. Reading this 1950s book again today provides the chilling view that we were falling into a brand chasm 50 years ago, and we knew it.

The Hidden Persuaders was published in 1957 and has sold over a million copies. It addresses the immediate post-war consumer situation, the beginnings of motivational research, subliminal activities in marketing and the manipulation of expectation and desire for new products.

These techniques were also applied to politics.

The early naivety of Packard's views have been discredited as marketing manipulation has advanced. What is important to bear in mind is that Packard was flagging the activities for the first time.

Looking back, the whole issue of mass market motivation, the development of new consumer product desire and the ability to see the 'state we're in' in hindsight, the book is well worth revisiting for all of you who have not read it.

Ugliness does not sell. RAYMOND LOEWY

Say it again Raymond.

Ugliness does not sell.
RAYMOND LOEWY

The vagaries of language

Whenever two languages meet there will be a double meaning that is noticed by someone. Thanks to Kev Coatman for noticing this on the way to Tokyo.

MIN2U

MIN2U: why pretend to be text-cool with a business name that makes brand sense only to a rap singer? Have we lost the will to read real words? Sry - hv we lst the wl 2 rd rl wds? :(

Pru Freida

How many times do we have to remind ourselves that the outward face of a brand can say different things to different readers. Is there anyone in MultiYork who has seen this and made the decision that accuracy is so yesterday? At least the sheet of paper fits in the display unit - or will that not matter when it happens?

An improvement?

BMC - The Austin Seven. Shaky, leaky, not too good in the wet (it kept cutting out). But a cross-class leveler used by Royalty, Stars and The Common Man. Sliding half windows at the front. Affordable by many.

So what did we do? The Mini brand was so strong that it was applied to a car that is not that affordable, is in no way innovative, is cramped in a new way despite being so much larger and so much faster.

What a pity that Alec Issigonis's 1959 - 2000 flawed masterpiece became the flawless, electric-windowed piece of retro nostalgia that it is today. And let's not get started on the Fiat 500.