Which comes first – writing or design? A conclusive answer came at a memorable evening hosted by the London Design Festival at their new offices in London’s Frith Street. Sensibly taking into account his audience, Domenic Lippa of Pentagram spoke glowingly of how great writing can lodge in the mind – in a way that great design hasn’t always managed to achieve. Martin Clarkson, Chairman of 26, made an equally vigorous case for writing’s role, whilst urging writers and designers to break out of their self-imposed ghettos and take a more cross-disciplinary approach. Meanwhile, host Sir John Sorrell summed up with a selection of wise words from David Ogilvy – including a persuasive argument for why great headlines should never be set in upper case. The speakers sparked off a series of lively conversations around the room, fuelled by free-flowing wine and an interesting selection of sushi. As for which comes first… a slight organisational mix-up meant that all the writers arrived at 6.30pm, while the designers turned up half an hour later. So that’s that settled.
