Pseud’s corner highlights special design language

I’ve always thought that the great thing about design is it makes things simpler for people, but Design Week (DW 24 April) suggests that, in the desire to increase margins, we’ve invented a whole new language to justify what we do.

We are that told the Corporate Edge-designed reception area at Tetley Tea is created ‘to reflect the sustainable approach thinking of its corporate social responsibility agenda’, while Enterprise IG is ‘extending the eating occasions for cheese, taking it cross segment and exciting consumers with its promise of quality and convenience’.

At same time, Wolff Olins’ new logo for TNS is ‘simple and bold with a three-dimensional effect that suggests a sense of depth’.

Thrilling stuff, but best of all is Portland Design’s signage for Earls Court and Olympia, which, quite staggeringly, is now a ‘colour-coded and branded wayfinding system’.

By the way, can someone tell me what ‘brand architecture’ is? Does it need planning permission?

Richard Williams

Partner

Williams Murray Hamm

London W1