Tequilicious!
A BEAUTIFUL NOTICEBOARD in Wahaca Mexican restaurant. It’s full of great detail – note the target in Don’t Shoot, the cancel sign in Lemon, the drips in 100%, the bottle in Tequila – yet…
Author: Steve Caplin
Black or white?
YOU MIGHT THINK that headlines are more legible in black. But when placed on an image, you'd be wrong. Even when placed on a light background, such as the sky and clouds...
Information overload 2
I SPOTTED THIS SIGN in a car park in Great Yarmouth. Well, yes, it certainly comprehensively covers the range of available payment options. But I can’t help thinking this information could…
Information overload 1
WHEN IS INFORMATION too much information? When the viewer is so overwhelmed by input that it’s impossible to take anything in. There may well be some vital message on this…
Design without pictures
Headlines advertise your content This is a ‘standfirst’. It gives the reader an at-a-glance idea of what the article is all about, while adding visual interest. REATING AN EFFECTIVE LAYOUT is...
Cycle of fifths
THERE’S A TRICK USED BY MUSICIANS when they get lost: it’s called the cycle of fifths. It’s a kind of satnav device that allows you to get back home from just…
Baked bean lies
“A MILLION HOUSEWIVES CAN’T BE WRONG.” So ran a TV commercial for Heinz Baked Beans in the 1970s. But a million housewives can be wrong. Every last one of them….
Yes, and no
ALL OUR MATHEMATICS, and consequently all our science, is based on the logical concept that philosophers call the Law of the Excluded Middle. This states that every proposition is either true…
Playing by ear
I STARTED PLAYING THE PIANO IN PUBS at the age of 16. People would ask for a well-known song, and I couldn’t admit I didn’t know it – so I spent a few…
Measure twice
MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE is such an old carpenter’s motto that it now sounds trivial, but it’s the most sound piece of DIY advice I’ve ever been given. Far too often…