Ten top tips for creative copywriting

Advice for successful commercial copywriting from business communications expert Professor Gyles Lingwood

Critiquing The Crit – the influence of technology and creative professional practice on the 21st Century peer learning environment.

This paper explores the importance of the group critique in practice-based arts education and how it is evolving through the digital age citing the development of the College of Arts Digital Crit Room at the University of Lincoln. Through the observation of how the rapid development of technology has potentially impacted negatively upon the usage of the traditional art and design ‘studio’, the Digital Crit Room project identified how technology may have threatened teaching practices that are critically reliant on a ‘studio culture’ with peer learning at their centre. Laptops, wireless and mobile technology have encouraged and enabled students to study and create anywhere, but a critical place of peer learning is potentially being eroded. One of the most effective forms of peer learning in practice-based arts subjects is ‘the crit’ in which students display their work alongside each other’s so that criticism, discussion, comparison and feedback can be offered. The crit is a vital part of arts learning and teaching, offering live feedback from students and staff alike on work-in- progress or completed creative work, but given the potential erosion of the studio where else can this pedagogically valuable activity take place? Through the definition of a set of design values to inform the creation of a ‘destination’ learning environment that felt different to other learning spaces on campus, the project team researched into the working environments of the creative industries and compared them to the design of the usual higher education learning spaces. Informed by this activity, the College of Arts Digital Crit Room was created as a new learning space with participatory learning at its heart, that reflected the working behaviours and environments of the professional creative industries

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli and Shigella dysenteriae type 1-induced haemolytic uraemic syndrome

Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) can be classified according to the aetiology of the different disorders from which it is composed. The most prevalent form is that induced by shigatoxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and, in some tropical regions, by Shigella dysenteriae type 1. STEC cause a zoonosis, are widely distributed in nature, enter the food chain in different ways, and show regional differences. Not all STEC are human pathogens. Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli usually cause attachment and effacing lesions in the intestine. This is not essential, but production of a shigatoxin (Stx) is. Because Stx are encoded by a bacteriophage, this property is transferable to naïve strains. Laboratory methods have improved by identifying STEC either via the toxin or its bacteriophage. Shigella dysenteriae type 1 produces shigatoxin, identical to Stx-1, but also has entero-invasive properties that enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) do not. Shigella patients risk bacteremia and benefit from early antibiotic treatment, unlike those with EHEC

Unlocking London by tube

Lingwood was appointed Senior Designer by Interbrand (international branding consultancy division of Omnicom) to design and produce ‘Unlocking London – by tube’ for London Underground (client: Paul Amlani-Hatcher, Head of Marketing – Surface Transport, Transport for London). This project aspired to explicate and define the company’s brand vision, mission and operational implications through historical research and brand communications recommendations. Interbrand facilitated London Underground in the development of a Creative Philosophy – a benchmark for all company communications that focused on gauging the success of all produced materials. The project team included Creative Director, A.Payne and several designers. Lingwood was engaged to undertake the historical research and analysis of London Underground’s rich design history and subsequent delivery through the design and content of the publication, ‘Unlocking London – by Tube’. The realisation of the project required the research and detailed understanding of all aspects of London Underground’s business and internal communications. The completed 60-page book aspired to be an informative, entertaining and engaging piece of print that demonstrated original thinking and distinction from internal communication design conventions. Its changeable cover and oversized rubber Travelcard wallet contained a poster that incorporated a CD-ROM that transformed the book into a fully interactive brand manual for London Underground

Will It Be Creativity That Holds The Key To Success?

In today’s challenging business climate it’s more important than ever that organisations can differentiate themselves and that’s where creativity comes in. Without innovation and new ideas, your business is restricted to being just the same as all of your competitors. In this comment piece Lingwood suggests that the solution lies in changing a negative mind-set and being brave enough to try consider new ideas, to ask ourselves, ‘What if…?’. Published in the Lincolnshire Live BUSiNESS supplement, July 2018

Copywriting – the next generation

What are we doing as an industry to educate, prepare, encourage and support the next generation of copywriters? In this talk, UK higher education expert Gyles Lingwood shares insights about the challenges and opportunities that he faces as an experienced teacher of commercial writing and creativity, revealing the key lessons that he is teaching the discipline’s future talent. Lingwood also shares the work that he is currently undertaking to encourage young people to consider a career in copywriting, endeavouring to improve the accessibility, inclusivity and diversity of the industry

16th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2002: brochure design

British Film Institute, National Film Theatre. This project involved the design and print production of the festival program and advertising for the British Film Institute’s 16th London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival 2002. The 32-page program was the integral document of the two-week film festival that detailed the events of the British Film Institute’s largest event at the National Film Theatre (100,000 print run). Commissioned by the British Film Institute, Lingwood’s brief required an original and thought-provoking concept and design that would avoid the multitude of lesbian and gay visual clichés and that would not offend or shock. Getting the right balance of ‘noticeably different’ yet ‘acceptable/mainstream’ was inherent in the adopted strategy. The unique design that Lingwood produced was a witty and intelligent creative solution that reflected the personality of the acclaimed event. Lingwood adapted the program design for a high profile London Underground advertising campaign that added to the festival’s success

SaBRE

Client: National Liaison Employment Committee, Ministry of Defence. This project was completed as a freelance contract on behalf of graphic design company Basten Greenhill Andrews. Lingwood had a key role in the designing and branding of SaBRE – the campaign for supporting Britain’s reservists and employers. This important project for the Ministry of Defence in 2002 included the naming and development of the visual identity to replace NELC (The National Employer Liaison Committee). Lingwood’s role in this project was the design and day-to-day running of the creative aspects of the work, with John McCarron (Creative Director) and Alison Kerr (Account Manager). The new identity focuses on the ‘power of two’, that is, the potential of an organisation that facilitates an effective dialog between reservist employers and the armed forces. By creating a logo and visual language that communicates the benefits of transferable skills acquired through reservist training, Lingwood was able to help identify the core activity and focus of the organisation. The intelligent and powerful logo together with clever supporting photography and visual language create a relevant visual style for the organisation that communicates quality, authority and impact. The scope of the project required the design and production of all aspects of a new visual identity: the new name, logo, typography, supporting colour palette, stationery design, photography guidelines, literature layout and PowerPoint guidelines. These were documented in printed and on-screen guidelines. The completion of the SaBRE branding project involved a rigorous and detailed understanding of all aspects of SaBRE’s unique business and resulted in a new brand that has played a major part in the success of this important and significant ongoing national campaign

Toyota Europe Online brand intranet 'Toyota Brand Central'

Lingwood was appointed Senior Designer by Interbrand (international branding consultancy division of Omnicom) on the Toyota project, with responsibility for the development of a detailed rationalization of the Toyota Europe visual identity system that resulted in online guidelines detailing the Toyota visual identity elements (logo, typography, colour, photography and layout) and their specified use. This assignment required Lingwood to collate and analyse all Toyota Europe collateral, and to resolve inconsistencies of design that weakened the brand. Subsequently, Lingwood developed design recommendations and specifications for corporate stationery, customer literature, advertising principles, use of photography, signage, packaging, merchandising and exhibitions. Lingwood was responsible for the design and specification of Toyota Brand Central: conceived and produced as an online resource for in-house and third party suppliers for the production of all Toyota collateral resulting in the improved visual presentation of all aspects of Toyota’s public-facing and business-to-business activities. This project resulted in further work for the Toyota Europe that included the development and repositioning of the Toyota brand, including the evolution of the visual identity. The Interbrand design team included Creative Director (Andy Payne), Account Manager (Susanne Acreman) and several designers. The realization of the Toyota Brand Central project included working with third parties (including Grouptree, Amaze, Saatchi & Saatchi and Little Blue Fish) and involved developing a detailed understanding of all aspects of Toyota Europe’s business

A catalogue of swindles and perversions: what George Orwell can teach copywriters today

In 1946 George Orwell published his now-famous essay, 'Politics and the English Language'. Although a critique of the blather and balderdash employed by professional politicians in the 1930s and ’40s, Orwell’s observations are remarkably perceptive and have much to say to copywriters today