Voxpop

New British Design & Art Direction president Larry Barker has put writing top of his agenda. What store do you put by writing in your work and who commissions it?

‘When we are asked to compose them, writers help us craft briefs and distil a brand’s essence; they help us to position and name new brands; they help us to unlock and mould ideas. Last of all, they write the words that appear in print – 50 of which can’t give credit to the importance of their efforts.’

STEVE GIBBONS, PARTNER, DEW GIBBONS

‘If you look at creative writing as anything less than an integral part of design in general, then you are in for trouble. The ever- decreasing attention span of the average consumer puts an even greater emphasis on the quality and delivery of writing. The main issue for us is understanding the sensibilities of a given project and matching it with the right creative talent.’

PETER KENNEDY, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, TONIC

‘Words are fundamental to successful communication – they are not a bolt-on discipline. Addison’s two in-house copywriters advise the account teams on external commissions and our designers are encouraged to write themselves as they develop their ideas. The amusing Green Book and monthly newsletter, Five Floors, provide opportunities for everyone at Addison to write about our business.’

PETER CHODEL, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ADDISON

‘The Partners is in the communication business so words are integral to our work. That’s why we encouraged D&AD to introduce a new awards category last year – Writing for Design. It’s really great to see Larry supporting that initiative.’

AZIZ CAMI, MANAGING PARTNER, THE PARTNERS

‘Ideas start out as words. I am still waiting for that flash of lightning which accompanies “the great visual idea”. We tell ourselves stories to produce images. The words that we commission come from the same small group of writers that we have worked with since the start of Trickett & Webb. To the extent, now, that when a job is finished, it’s difficult to remember who did the words or who did the pictures.’

BRIAN WEBB, PARTNER, TRICKETT & WEBB