Revealed – The real ‘hidden persuaders’
26/08/2011

Subliminal advertising – the practise of flashing up an image or message too fast for the eye to see, but nonetheless registering with the unconscious – was officially banned by the profession in the late 1950s.  But subliminal advertising is still alive and well in the UK, and everywhere else, in a form so innocent that few would suspect it: that of creative typography.

It’s a strange thing, but most people do not recognise individual typefaces (and nowadays there are so many of them that even professionals have difficulty putting a name to a face), although they are unconsciously affected by them.  Why else do you think companies invest so much in perfecting their logos?

It’s true that with the advent of personal computers many would now recognise Times Roman (the face in which the Times newspaper was originally set, although alas no longer); Arial, a bastardization of Helvetica (and no, I’m not being rude, that’s an official typographic term – look it up if you don’t believe me!); and the ubiquitous Comic Sans, loathed by professionals everywhere (mostly because its outsold anything they’re ever likely to produce in their entire lifetime!) but the darling of cheap greetings cards and garden fete posters the world over.

But whether you recognise them or not, typefaces have a personality all their own, a character that colours the brands they promote.  And unlike the man in the street, big advertisers have not been slow to recognise their power.  Have you noticed, for example, that major corporations increasingly use informal typefaces to make themselves seem human and approachable, whilst small companies and individuals adopt formal typefaces in the hope of persuading customers they’re brand leaders – or at least a lot bigger than they really are.

For some time now Sainsbury’s have been using a typeface in their advertising and POS material that looks as if it has been made by a potato cut in a primary school art class – lumpy, misshapen and child-like, presumably to accentuate the company’s family friendly ethos.  And Volkswagen, in their Golf advertising, use a grunge typeface that looks as if it’s been daubed on a wall by a graffiti artist, presumably to give their product ‘street’ cred – pun intended!

On the other hand, you’ll often see a carefully lettered ‘Polite notice – do not park’ outside a suburban property, masquerading as official constabulary signage.  And Trotters Independent Traders weren’t the first – and won’t be the last – to pass themselves off as major players.

Prize Competition

So, you’ve been warned, typographers are the real ‘hidden persuaders’ out to win you over by stealth!  Now try this test, and see if you can name the three typefaces shown alongside.  A free download of any one of them to the first person to email the correct answer to me at @keith_simpsons