I don’t really want to get into the pros and cons of the book, or even talk about whether I think it merits the instant praise and adulation that his writing must surely deserve after such a meteoric rise into the ranks of a bonafide ʻclassicʼ.
But a small part of it really struck a cord with an area of work weʼve being doing quite a lot of lately – namely, naming. Hereʼs the bit Iʼm referring to, where Morrissey recounts how they decided on a name for the band he fronted at the time:
“I suggest to Johnny that we call ourselves the Smiths, and he agrees. Neither of us can come up with anything else. It strikes me that the Smiths name lacks any settled association on face value, yet could also suit a presentation of virtually any style of music. It sounded like a timeless name, unlikely to date, and unlikely to glue itself to come-and-go movements.”
Naming is pretty hard work, not in the sense of ‘realʼ hard work where people lift heavy objects or are rushed-off their feet all day, but for a cosseted creative whoʼs life becomes unbearable if their coffee isnʼt the exact Pantone swatch colour they asked for (mineʼs a P730 by the way) – itʼs one of the toughest jobs weʼre asked to do.
The thing I like about Morrissey is that he understands the value of a timeless approach. Itʼs something we try to achieve here by avoiding transient fashion trends to hopefully create work which remains relevant and appropriate for a very long time.
Now, this is where it gets difficult because we donʼt have a crystal ball, we donʼt consume the latest 10 year trend reports, and only time itself can tell us whether we achieve our aims.
So it should be no surprise that one of our biggest heroes is the great American designer, Paul Rand, who was a master of timeless design. His work was always simple and reductive but at the same time, also very intelligent and emotional.
Now I don’t know whether Paul Rand had ever heard of, or listened to the Smiths before his passing in 1996, but I’m sure he’d appreciate the same qualities behind the bandʼs name, which was ultimately designed to stand the test of time.
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Written by David Thompson
In early February we took a trip to the Spring Fair at Birmingham’s NEC – a huge exhibition chock-full of homeware, furniture, fashion and even Christmas gifts and decorations (we know, in February!).
We visited specifically to learn more about our new client, Wilstone, who source authentic Indian products for outdoor living. We look forward to working with their team to help fire-up the culinary imagination of the masses.
