Ongoing

The more you work on a brand, the better you appreciate its finer points. You're not starting from scratch when a new project comes in, and can slip easily into the right frame of mind and tone of voice, which produces more sophisticated, better-positioned work. I've been fortunate enough to have worked with Orange for the past six years and Pink for the past two, across a wide range of promotional materials, both online and in print.

I've also built strong links with several design companies, notably navyblue, Blast, NB:Studio and Aboud.Sodano. Again, trust, mutual respect and rapport help foster a positive working atmosphere and - ultimately - better work.

Promotional literature

Brochures, booklets, fliers, leaflets, leave-behinds, mail-outs. Something of a house speciality. We've done big ones and small ones, fun ones and serious ones, even one that's shaped like a small piece of modern architecture. A recent effort that stands out is for Inuit, a new paper from Arjowiggins. Superbly designed and produced by Blast, this limited-edition booklet told the story of the development of the Inuit typeface (designed by Jeremy Tankard) to mark the paper's launch. It proved to be the company's most successful launch ever, and the booklet was featured in the news pages of Design Week.

Advertising

A good ad gets 'mental rental'. That is, it occupies a small space in someone's head for a short space of time. I've worked on a wide variety of press ads, in-store posters, direct mail and web banners, all of which - I hope - make people pause, be it for for a play on words, a neat turn of phrase, a captivating idea or a smart interplay of word and image. Right is one of a series of punny seasonal in-store posters for Waterstone's. Other clients include American Airlines, Hitachi, RIBA and VW.

Annual reviews

I wouldn't claim to be a hardcore business writer, but all kinds of organisations need annual reviews, some with an easier, more accessible style. For example, I've written the Lawn Tennis Association's annual review for the past three years, which needed to appeal to wide audience ranging from potential sponsors to members of the public. The 2004 Oskar Mobil annual report reflected the energy and eccentricity of the Czech mobile operator, while articulating a serious business message.

But I've also written more sober corporate reviews - for the likes of the Design Council and the mobile phone software developer Symbian. And drafted plenty of director's letters, from lawyers and accountants, to media organisations and sports governing bodies.

Online

For me, there's no great secret to good online writing. The same rules apply as any other writing. Only more than ever don't waste words. Keep it short and tight. Get you message across as succintly as possible. Don't repeat yourself as I'm doing here. I've done web work for among others, BDO Stoy Hayward, Philips, Volkswagen, AXA, Nationwide, Orange and Procter & Gamble.

Internal communications

For six years now, I've been supporting Orange with their internal communications. This mainly consists of developing 'reference guides', which demonstrate how you should write about a particular product or service. Every phone, tariff or promotion gets one of these two-pagers. They're circulated not only to Orange employees, but also people at relevant agencies and suppliers so that messages and tone of voice are consistent.

In addition, I've helped to develop 'The Pickles', a fictional pan-generational family who are used to help call-centre staff deal with common queries and situations. These cartoon-style characters are undercut with humour to side-step any authoritarian overtones, and have appeared as posters, stand-ups, mouse-mats, playing cards, screen-savers and calendars.

Elsewhere, I've written a series of intranet sites for the Nationwide Building Society and also internal guidelines for Shell forecourt shops.

Brand books

Brand books are as much about evoking the right overall atmosphere as setting down draconian rules for the application of colour and type, the nuances of photography and where the logo should go. The ones I've worked on couldn't have been more different - traditional Britishness for Yardley, classic style for Vidal Sassoon, and contemporary chic for NikeWomen. Once I'd figured how to write in appropriate way for each of them, then I could get down to the nitty-gritty business of laying down draconian rules for the application of colour and type, the nuances of photography and where the logo should go.

Books and bits of books

So far, I have five books to my name.

The first was The Book of Guinness Advertising. Published in 1998, it's a detailed critique of Guinness' rich advertising heritage, placed in the broader context of an evolving industry. Beginning with the first ever ad in 1926, it looks back at some of the iconic advertising of all times, from John Gilroy's classic 'My Goodness, My Guinness' posters, to the enigmatic Man in Black played by Rutger Hauer. Lavishly illustrated, with themed chapters and dippable essays, it was well received by the national and design press, and was nominated Waterstone's Book of the Week. Amazon gives it four stars.



The other four are Royal Mail Year Books (1999-2002). These tell the stories behind a year's worth of special stamps - the ones with the pictures on them. Which meant travelling up and down the country interviewing designers, illustrators, engravers, photographers, artists... even a weaver and silversmith. And researching all sorts of arcane subject matter I wouldn't normally get anywhere near, from submarines to circuses, the bridges of London to Peter Pan. They're beautifully produced square-format, slip-cased books, and they come with a complete set of stamps, which slot neatly into tipped-in cellophane panels. The 1999 Year Book sits proudly in the pages of the D&AD annual in the 'Writing for Design' category.



I've also contributed to many design books, including an introduction to Rian Hughes - Art, Commercial; an essay on the difference between German and English graphic wit in Thomas Manss - Ordnung & Eccentricity; and Delicious - the Design and Art Direction of Stylorouge, which I edited and wrote several key chapters.









The text of True Brit, a book originally written to accompany exhibition on fashion designer Paul Smith in Japan, was later republished in You Can Find Inspiration In Anything, Paul's lavish and extraordinarily designed autobiography.

Editorial and design features

Since 1992, my work has appeared in most of the British national broadsheets (not that they're broadsheets any more) and mainstream magazines like GQ and the Sunday Times. I've written on subjects as diverse as fashion, pop music, computer games, interiors and new media, but have tended to concentrate on design and the visual arts, bringing now-familiar names like David Carson, Designers Republic and Ross Lovegrove to a broader audience. I also contributed a regular column on advertising to the Guardian.

I've contributed to many international design magazines and journals. From Domus in Italy, IDEA in Japan and Print and Ray Gun magazines in the US, to titles in Holland, France and Iceland. In the UK, I've has written articles for, among others, Eye, Graphics International, Design Week, Baseline, Design, Creative Technology and Circular. And I have interviewed and profiled many leading creative types, including Gert Dumbar, Neville Brody, Richard Seymour, David Carson and Annie Leibovitz.

Press releases

Acknowledged as the 'Press Release Queen' in my years spent grafting at the PR coalface, I still keep my hand in by penning totalcontent's PR output. I've written words for some of Britain's biggest brands, including Woolworths, Somerfield supermarkets, Blockbuster Video, Mars confectionery, too many Bass beers to mention (or remember), Thomas Cook and Little Chef.