Following my recent rant bemoaning female fashion's increasing alienation from the female form; A Cry From The Wardrobe, I was amused to note at the weekend that even signage manufacturers are struggling to produce signs to fit us any longer!I showed this photo of a new public washroom Ladies sign to my partner who guffawed for a moment before realising to his horror that he'd just visited that selfsame Ladies' in error!
This brought to mind the recent unfortunate typography I observed in Nat West bank where re-branding consultants had made all the a's look like o's, with the consequence that posters and leaflets sprang out to tempt me with 'Business Bonking' and 'Unbeatable Loons'!
What a top job that would be I've often thought. To set up as a professional re-brander who gets paid millions and thanked for making your clients look like complete idiots! On an par indeed with the television consultant who periodically gets paid obscene sums to make the theme tune of Eastenders/any television programme even rubbisher and more banal than it was before. As for our plumbers' Corgi gas safety certification, that has gone from intimidating coat of arms to cartoon that a five year old could forge! By the by 'abstraction' is the new buzzword for 'dumbing down'. Hey, I sound like a branding consultant already!
8 comments:
Shoulder pads? Are the 80's back in bathrooms? Maybe this particular Ladies is only for the likes of Joan Collins and Linda Evans...
haha I did laugh both at your poor partner going in the wrong loo and at the business bonking. I will have to go into the Nat West Bonk to see for myself.
I often stand bewildered by toilets wondering which is the right one. The signs are often similar or particularly in pubs, landlords have no picture but just use the words for "Ladies" in some foreign language (Damen or whatever) presumably using signs they have nicked from loos when they have been on their hols. After a few drinks it is difficult enough to read let alone remember the word for "Ladies" in Serbo-Croat. I just go in the loo with the least smell coming out from under the door - it's usually a safe indicator.
Well - I'm off to Nat West for some 'Unbeatable Loons'.
I still miss the lovely green velvet pair I had in the seventies
That bathroom thing is hilarious!
I guess I'm not welcome in there....
You are right about the re-branding branders...I think they were called rustlers for good reason!!
I make a point of going to whichever loo I can find, when nature calls ya gotta answer!!
Cheers for your comments everyone.
My partner suggested it was a Ladies for women wearing burkhas. I suggested rather indelicately it was for women built like brick sh*t houses, or for don't knows and trannies. Or just a puzzle to work out while you're waiting for your coach to come in!
These re-branders have a lot to answer for! A bunch of merchant bonkers if you ask me.
My Word! Is it possible to dumb anything down any further than it already is?
I am afraid that 'fatties' are the new smokers. This is terrible news for 60% of Canadians because according to the Olson Twins, 23% of us are obese and 36% overweight.
Well if Heroin Chic is here to stay then the bloody Government should bloody well pay for our bloody habit. Hey, everybody would finally fit into haute couture!
It was a sign for a toilet?! I thought it was an ice lolly!
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