Beautiful visuals alone won’t reinforce brand values

Brands (and consultancies) are still missing the point when it comes to words. There’s no point having a beautiful logo, another fresh colour palette, or even immaculate kerning, if your language is the usual bland, corporate blah. It jars.

Words are just as much a part of identity as design, and canny brands have found voices that make them as distinctive as their visuals. That’s why Google made such a stir, and did so much to

reinforce the values of its brand, with the way it’s been talking about its IPO: ‘We won’t “smooth” quarterly or annual results: If earnings figures are lumpy when they reach headquarters, they will be lumpy when they reach you’.

The creative industries would not stand for the Plain Design Campaign, so we should have the same ambition when it comes to the way that brands talk.

Neil Taylor

Creative director

The Writer

London SE1