JKR

If brevity is the soul of wit I will keep this snappy. I have a mental list of favourite designs (I’m sure you do to) which I tend to fall back on to illustrate the standard points I habitually make. This week I was looking for something more specific: an example of a very high end brand that used witty design. It’s the first time I had noticed Steinway’s identity. Isn’t it fantastic?

Elegant and understated but also smart. I guess, in the same way that all really posh people tend to have a relaxed air of informality, here is a maker’s mark which says ‘we are so good we can play around a little’. The gag also has resonance because it’s a little bit in the know. And like all really witty design it doesn’t slap you around the chops, but sneaks up on you quietly.

It’s a new one for my mental top ten. Does it make your charts?