Once upon a time, good communication was simple. You wanted an engaging web page, so you wrote as interestingly and concisely as possible what you wanted your reader to know. Then along came Google... Read more
Me: “What’s your definition of fragile?”
Removal man: “If you drop it on the floor, it breaks.”
Brilliant. An answer so plain, I felt I’d asked a stupid question... Read more
I recently received a letter from Paul Willis, MD of Volkswagen UK. He was writing to tell me my car was fitted with a 'defeat device'. Read more
We enjoyed this recent ‘top 10′ of controversial ads Read more
As a writer, I often find inspiration in other people’s words, from a well-written article to a thought-provoking headline. It’s not that I would copy those ideas (obviously) – it helps me think about what works, what doesn’t and why – and how using a different approach can make a message stand out. Read more
For years, we (and countless articles and radio features) have been ranting about the misuse or overuse of words like ‘innovative’, ‘solutions’ and ‘going forward’. But we still see them everywhere, so we sometimes wonder whether we’re fighting a losing battle. Read more
A friend has just sent me a link to a great article. I assume it’s because I continually correct his poor spelling and grammar. While I do it for fun more than out of frustration, I’m glad he retaliated, because the article makes several very good points… Read more
There’s been much rejoicing in the Writers office recently, after we discovered another (highly unexpected) ally in our constant battle for clearer communication. Read more
As copywriters, we already have first-hand experience of how certain sectors’ obsession with ‘process’ and using impenetrable, jargon-heavy language is strangling the common sense out of, well, just about everything. So how pleased we were, when this brilliant but worrying article appeared on the BBC News website. Read more
Why? Because if you don’t, people will ask you what you actually mean, and then you’ll have to explain yourself the way you should have done first time around. Which can be embarrassing and time-consuming. Read more
