May 2009

When it comes to business writing or copywriting, it's always better to use Anglo Saxon words rather than Latin words. But why are Anglo Saxon words better? And how can we tell the difference? To find out, let's take a brief look at the history of the English language. What have the Romans ever done for us? Latin words have been around...

Used correctly, punctuation can often be the difference between a blah blah statement and a really powerful headline. Take this sign at my local gym. Our weight loss course lasts 12 weeks and the results could last a lifetime. It's not wrong. It's just a bit dull. So what's missing? How about a semicolon? A semicolon joins two complete sentences which are closely...

I hate the word solution. I really do. It's now so over-used it has lost all its meaning. Lunch solutions? Right. That would be a sandwich then. Or how about plumbing solutions? Got it. You're a plumber. Or spotted on a bin in Glasgow the other weekend: 'Providing refuse solutions'. But my favourite, seen on a website this week, 'Contemporary quality...

Trawling the interwebs this week I came across this little beauty (names have been removed to protect the innocent). There are three issues that are consistently addressed in our work: client needs, purpose, cost + the site, its context, history + materials, light, volume. Hmmmm. I'm guessing there's punctuation missing. Some semicolons probably. Or a comma or six.   But nope, I have...