3

Introduction

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Wit an element of design that is often seen but not always used effectively or well. This

is because of the importance of how successfully the message is communicated. During

my dissertation I intend to analyse where wit began and how it developed with design. I

also wish to discover how important the role of wit is within design and explore where

and how it is used to great effect. Can design survive without wit? Has wit changed how

we communicate? There are many different areas of graphic communication that can be

investigated and that will alter the conclusion of my dissertation.

Throughout design there are many different ways to communicate and many different

types of wit to aid that communication. Different types of wit are appropriate for a

range of scenarios. Some believe that as a company or organization matures wit

becomes obsolete and no longer appropriate. Can larger companies be seen to be using

humour?

“Ralph Emerson (an American philosopher) recognized that it takes little note of

hierarchy: ‘Wit makes its own welcome, and levels all distinctions’. An enterprise that

takes itself too seriously will not feel comfortable with wit. Ditto any organization that

equates ‘serious’ and ‘solemn.’”1

This can be contradicted by the fact that using wit necessitates a level of confidence that

works well and strongly in the modern world of quick and clever ideas.

“Wit has a power that no one can quantify. This can be alarming for people within the

world of commerce who operate under different criteria. If they are insecure they can

find that element of magic in wit is unsettling.”2

The ‘magic’ spoken of, whether visual or verbal, will be a combination of two

interweaving elements flowing together to create a slice of appreciation within the mind.

1 McAlhone, B and Stuart D, A Smile in the Mind, London: Phaidon Press 1996 p. 31 2 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Ibid p 31

5

These elements are made up of the different assortments or tricks that pay off to result

in this effect.

Pairs or couples usually leading to ambiguity are a clever example of this type. These

are two kinds of design that encourage the viewer to see similarities or differences or

even a link between the images relating to a given cause, this can also be achieved by

one image that can be viewed a number of ways to appear to be more than one thing.

This is accomplished by the logo for Hedgehog Books by David Pelham, UK 1993 (fig 1).

The image is of a book with its pages fanned out as if being flicked through, which also

becomes a hedgehog within the leaves. To carry out this quirky design the use of

juxtaposition has been important, this helps to keep the design simple enough to spot

both of the rudiments of the logo instantly.

Smaller designs such as these have just as much relevance to the expansion of graphic

communication and design as a whole; I wish to investigate if it can weave itself into

numerous elements of design. By delving into history and the beginning of graphic

design we can see where wit stems from and how it has altered designers perceptions

and work today.

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Chapter one: The history of wit

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Wit and humour are fundamental to human nature and can therefore be found

throughout time in all manner of civilizations. The very earliest and basic forms of this

have been found within Ancient Egypt. Even their Hieroglyphics and depictions of

stories were seen as something to “produce a smile or a laugh, whether for one’s own

private pleasure or for a viewing audience”3. This of course is often missed when delving

into our history as due to cultural and linguistic differences, which separate our times

have often led to messages been misconstrued. Subsequently, drawings and diagrams

left on tomb walls of the wealthy are now being taken seriously and seen as a society’s

way of expressing itself. Representations of animals in human postures are a clear sign

of how humour and incisive wit was important to their culture (fig 2).

This is also how satire originated. Where texts and letters from Ancient Egyptian

traders show clear examples of how they mocked the achievements and trading

knowledge of the recipient. This links very closely to the Middle Ages where this

continued its slightly disrespectful nature with ridiculing misbehavior. This is shown

through scenes of punishment or by the alteration of the human form to that of an

animal; this type of wit has a distinct level of seriousness and an expectation of correct

Christian behavior to its tone of voice. Satire showed realistic imperfections with

people and everyday life. This can be found in the ‘Danse Macabre’ (see fig 3) a cheaply

made block book for some of the oldest illustrations of its genre. The illustration is of a

man dancing with death simply stating how no matter what your status was in life we

are all united in death. 4 This humorous idea of dancing to our grave brings a lighter if

not slightly unnerving idea of death. Although the author and illustrator are unknown,

their sense of indignation at people having status or royalties can be clearly felt and the

image mocks this sense of propriety.

William Hogarth, a print maker and painter, whose work is often referred to as

Hogarthian satire, was renowned for his highly critical, dark nature. He had a

remarkable ability to take an ominous subject or scene and turn it into a humorous

3 Houlihan, P Wit and Humour in Ancient Egypt, The Rubicon Press 2001 p 1 4 ‘Satire in Art’ [online] [22nd November 2010] http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Past/SatLondon/ArtSatire/SatireAndArt.htm

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depiction without removing the message behind the injustice or inhumanity. A prime

example of this would be ‘Beer Street and Gin Lane’ (fig 4). These images relay the

unpleasant consequences of alcoholism. Beer Street reveals the cheerful public enjoying

English beer, against Gin Lane, which demonstrates the effects of drinking gin which, as a

harder liquor, caused more problems for society. People are shown as healthy, happy

and prosperous in Beer Street, while in Gin Lane they are gaunt, idle and injudicious.

The woman at the front of Gin Lane, who lets her baby fall to its death, echoes the tale

of Judith Dufour who strangled her baby so she could sell its clothes for gin money. The

prints were published in support of what would become the Gin Act 1751.5

As art began to develop, wit and humorous elements began to become far more

discreet and subtle like that of a hidden message. This was mainly due to satire only

working on certain levels and the mockery and general self-satisfaction that was gained

from this type of wit was slowly leading to its lapse as it became less and less

appropriate. By taking a serious subject or scene and adding delicate twists each artist

added a very individual ingredient to their work. Pablo Picasso’s ‘Bull Head’ becomes

the epitome of subtle design that makes you look twice at the work without necessarily

realising it is humour you are appreciating. The anatomical resemblance to a bull,

considering it is made from such simple objects, has a level of beauty that you would not

expect to find from old, rusty, bicycle parts (see fig 5). The narrow angular shape that

forms the nose and even the markings of the seat, creates almost animated features to

the face of the bull encouraging you to be pleasantly surprised at how structurally clever

this sculpture is, yet how nearly completely unaltered the individual parts of the bicycle

are.

Paul Rand discussed that this type of wit can be referred to as ‘The Play Instinct’. The

Bull’s Head is

“curious, a visual pun. Picasso is almost always humorous - but this does not rule out

seriousness when he creates images that are contrary to what one would expect. He

5 Paulson, R. Hogarth: High art and low, 1732-1750 Lutterworth Press 1991

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might put a fish in a birdcage, or a Rower with little bulls climbing up the stem. The

notion of taking things out of context and giving them new meanings is inherently

funny.”6

Following on from satire this inherently shows that although there is humour, the

underlying message can still relay sincerity and that art was and still is taken with respect

and seriousness. In my previous case study on wit within design I discussed that

“the designer Paul Rand had a very firm belief on the how to deal with the structures

and conforms of graphic design. The problems of form and matter, of pondering

relationships and establishing priorities; every problem is individual therefore the rules

are individual. The play as he puts it is a vital part to creating ideas. It is a way of

working,”7

“Without play, there is no experimentation. Experimentation is the quest for answers.”8

Picasso is one of those whose ideas thrive from experimentation.

Around the same time as Picasso, Edward Lear, an artist, illustrator, author and poet,

famous for his literary nonsense was described as someone who “would qualify as one

such eccentric ‘I see life as tragic and futile’, he complained ‘and the only thing that matters is

making little jokes.’ So he did.”9 Famous for ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ he changed

people’s perspectives in the 1800’s and found curious and slightly illogical ways to entice

people into laughter.10 In his early etches for illustrations of ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’

there was clearly an unnatural relationship between the two creatures which is captured

in fig 6; there is a sense of companionship and contentment which is amusing for an owl

6 Heller, S and Pettit E, Design Dialogues, New York: Allworth Press 1998 7 Mestraud, A, Design Case study: The work of Michael Johnson and the use of wit within design 2010 pg 4 8 ‘ Steven Heller interview with Paul Rand, on the play instinct’ www.paulrand.com 9 Fletcher, A, The Art of Looking Sideways, London: Phaidon Press Ltd 2001 p 40 10Lear. E, A Book of Nonsense, Kindle Edition, Public Domain Books 2004

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and a cat as well as the tale being even more bizarre. His work is where we start to see

the general overlap between art and illustration with early graphic design.

This eccentric nature is crucial to good design today. The ability to see things from

another perspective or point of view when combined with experimentation creates

great and clever ideas. Therefore it is essential to being able to think outside the box,

and although people of this era did not necessarily approve of this style of art and

illustration it was a fundamental element of how graphic design came to be.

Into the 20th Century this change really started to become apparent. A man named

Cyril Kenneth Bird, under the pseudonym Fougasse, became the Editor of the

internationally renowned witty magazine Punch in 1949. This journal prided itself in

publishing some of the greatest comic writers of the time and was determined to alter

governments and people throughout its existence.

“Fougasse humorous illustrations were enjoyed weekly as they touched on the

authenticity of everyday life around World War II. He even described himself, how his

humour needed to be rooted in reality to be effective. He offered his services to the

government implying that humour was an ideal vehicle for propaganda.”11

He was responsible for numerous books, leaflets, posters and advertisements that were

the forefront of the beginning of the need for design to make people take notice and

listen by gaining their utmost attention. He was determined that through his wit he

could surmount three major problems with design

“Firstly overcoming peoples aversions to reading a notice of any sort secondly the

general unwillingness to believe any such notice applies specifically to oneself and thirdly

the reluctance to remember it long enough to do anything about it.”12

11 Mestraud, A, Design Case study: The work of Michael Johnson and the use of wit within design 2010 pg 4 12 ‘Fougasse’ [online] [January 18th 2011] http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk

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This has taught many graphic designers today that there is nothing more important than

attention. To be able to persuade people to stop, think, take notice and most

importantly, remember, is a regimented fact of design that has lead from wit itself.

Fougasse achieved this level of awareness from the general public through his ‘Careless

Talk Costs Lives’ campaign (fig 7 and 8). This series of posters was designed to remind

the public against talking about information Germans would be able to use. This was

successfully shown through neat, buoyant illustrations, which were never dictatorial in

their manner nor were they too strict, as Fougasse knew that this may aggravate the

public. Instead they were depicted in a very natural way, almost inducing the pride of

the people of Britain to do their bit and the message beneath each drawing simply

stating how one word could cost someone their life. This illustrated that a poster

relying on wit to ensure that people think twice is highly effective in publicising

information and increasing morale during times of immense stress and severity.

In the 1970’s work by designers such as Paul Rand, who was initially famous for his

corporate logos, were at the height of successful wit. His most memorable design was

his logo for IBM, “which as Mark Favermann notes ‘was not just an identity but a basic design

philosophy that permeated corporate consciousness and public awareness.’”13 In later years

the identity was altered for marketing purposes into the ‘Eye-Bee-M’ poster (fig 9) this

was a clever pun on words for the corporate company. Here his approach differs from

his Swiss influences in his playful nature. His illustrative style often had a very simple

form, and his willingness to use visual puns made corporations more human and

approachable.14

Looking back at these types of work, it is clear that they are still understood and

appreciated today, which would lead to the question does wit date? If produced well and

cleverly, will it always be valued? Or have these ideas been reproduced and stolen so

many times that they have become common and over used? If an idea has been reused

to excess then it stands to reason that there was no great idea in the first place. A 13 ‘Paul Rand Bibliography’ [online] [ March 17th 2011] http://www.paul-rand.com/site/biography/ 14 Mestraud, A, Design Case study: The work of Michael Johnson and the use of wit within design 2010 pg 4

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great idea is a great idea and it will always be great and can within reason be altered to

suit the current time, but it will still have the originality that it started with, as it was not

designed to be ‘pretty’ or ‘plain’ but to stand out by sparking interest in the viewers

mind resulting in real wit being timeless.

If wit originated from art and illustration, is it able to be moulded into other forms of

design? Can it weave into anything? Although Salvador Dali was primarily an artist, he

also designed a few pieces of furniture and 3D design and is a prime example of how wit

can fuse with anything. His ‘Lobster Telephone’ 1936 (known as Aphrodisiac telephone,

fig 10) was a surreal object which had an incredibly provocative and alluring effect. Dali

made the connection that the affliction we have with everyday objects could lead to

unexpected conjunctions; that objects could reveal secret desires of the sub-conscious,

that they could have “meaning that exceeds their normal function”15.

He carefully arranged the area of where the lobster genitals would be with the

mouthpiece of the telephone connecting the idea of food, sex and objects. This shows

Dali’s ability to use wit and playfulness to alter how we view an object or possession.

Generally Dali’s humour merges with his dark and almost oppressive nature placing a

whole new level of wit.

This idea has been brought forward and inspired many modern day objects and

products. Philippe Starck is a prime example of this dynamic type of design that thrives

on simplicity and wit. His Juicy Salif lemon squeezer 1991 (fig 11) was an iconic piece of

aerodynamic design. Created to look out of this world its immediate purpose is cleverly

hidden to deceive the viewer yet when used it is surprisingly functional. This rocket

resembling object cast in aluminium was not created to squeeze lemons but to start

conversations which is what great ideas do - they catch people’s eye. 16

15 Lobster telephone – Salvador Dali’ [online] [January 18th 2011] http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone/modernmasters/virtual-exhibition/dali/10-lobster-telephone.shtml 16 Starck P & T, Tony Starck, Italy: Taschen Press 2003

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Chapter two: Does wit always work?

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“It’s the default setting of many creatives. Stuck for an idea? – Use a funny. Like

telling a joke to get an audience warmed up, there’s no doubt that humour makes

people warm to a person, a product, an ad. But what if it gets in the way of the real

message and all we do is laugh at the joke and forget everything else?”17

This is an ever-impending question within design. Does everyone always understand

humour or does it over-shadow the message and point of the design? Humour and wit

differ depending on culture and language and can date with time, so can different types

of wit be combined internationally and would the message be clear enough for everyone

to comprehend?

Simplicity is usually the most clear-cut way to achieve universal and somewhat timeless

appreciation. Designers such as Robert Brownjohn and Ivan Chermayeff from the

design group Brownjohn, Chermayeff & Geismar, New York achieved this through

experimenting with playful layouts and types of collage in the late fifties creating a body

of work that is still greatly cherished today. Their designs for Pepsi-Cola World (fig 12)

covers bring a wholesome, family-orientated sensibility to their franchised bottlers just

as Pepsi’s business was growing exponentially. The covers certainly accomplish that,

using seasonal visual puns and the Pepsi-Cola logo, but they also carry an edge of

surrealism and are never over-complicated.18

Another issue with using wit in graphic design is that sometimes it needs to be decoded;

the witticism is hidden and very secretive almost isolating the audience. This is referred

to as ‘bonus’ wit.

“If people miss the joke, there are no penalties. But anyone who spots it gets an extra

reward. There are often jobs of this kind in the British D&AD annual. They look

17

M Johnson, Problem Solved. Phaidon Press 2002 p 107 18 E King and A Fletcher, Robert Brownjohn: Sex and Typography: 1925-1970 Life and Work Laurence King 2005

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straightforward, but to have got past the jury you know there must be something

more.”19

Unless done well this can cause frustration and miscommunication within the audience

leading to it becoming unsuccessful.

Target Audience has a potent effect on wit within design. It determines the nature of

the humour. The response is also dependent on whether wit is expected or not, as well

as how receptive or sympathetic the audience is to a particular cause. The audience

need to be sure there is something to discover, to find and therefore must be

encouraged to look closer. As wit overlaps all kinds of boundaries making it as a whole

a shared domain to be appreciated by all in many different forms, but caution must be

taken by designers to ensure they can choose the appropriate type for a specific

situation.

If wit does not always work then does it change how we design? Does it make

designers more subtle and intelligent or does it make them over-complex? Conceptual

thinking is the art of working outside the box, an element of design that puts some

designers a cut above the rest. “Not all designers possess the ability to create truly witty or

humorous work, yet the desire to be endowed with this gift is probably universal”20 Using ideas

and concept to make their point heard can be understood across the world as it is a

notion that does not require a sense of humour, only a level of intellectual

understanding, intelligence and truth cause a pleasing reaction in the brain.

“The American architect, designer and writer Richard Saul Wurman expressed well the

difference between straight communication and one that is witty: ‘Consider the doorway

as a metaphor for information; humour is a passageway to understanding’”21

This really relates to how primarily wit is found in British graphic design.

19 McAlhone, B and Stuart D, A Smile in the Mind, London: Phaidon Press 1996 p. 26 20 Heller, S, Design Humour: the Art of Graphic Wit, Allworth Press 2002 p. 23 21 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Ibid p 22

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“Wit implies joining, in the sense of ‘if you understand this, you’re one of us’. This has

particular resonance in a structured society, shaped by the historic dominance and the

stubborn, vestigial power of class differences.”22

Are aesthetics more valuable or necessary for communication in other countries and

cultures? The Swiss style of design emphasises cleanliness, readability and objectivity.

Relying upon angles and juxtaposition for its clean-cut asymmetric layouts. “The Swiss

Style can be defined as an authentic pursue for simplicity – the beauty in the underlines of a

purpose, not beauty as a purpose in itself”23. Less is definitely more where Swiss design is

concerned; removing the unnecessary and stress the indispensable. It’s all about

functionality, which is why the Swiss focus so much on type24. Typeface is one of the

most fundamental essentials of visual communication that make possible the delivery of

the message in an incredibly precise, clear way. In keeping with the Swiss movement,

adding more elements without entirely delving into the possibilities of the fundamental

ones can be considered a waste. As these basic elements, like typography, have so much

aesthetic potential.

Josef Müller-Brockmann is a prime example of Swiss straightforwardness and accuracy

that creates an irrevocably crystal message throughout his work. His 1955 Beethoven

poster for the Zurich Tonhalle (fig 13) shows

“carefully regulated curves that sweep around an asymmetrically positioned block of

text. The lower-case “Beethoven” is ranged left in a void on the lower half of the poster

– just far enough below the midline to disrupt any semblance of ordered symmetry.”25

Graphic design today varies from the great to the poor. Although aesthetics have

always been an important part of design they seem to have overtaken the need for being

22 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Ibid p 22 23 Terror, D. “Lessons From The Swiss Style Graphic Design”, Smashing Magazine, July 2009 24‘The Swiss Style’ [online] [March 3rd 2011] http://www.designishistory.com/home/swiss/ 25 Eskilson, S. Graphic Design: A New History, Laurence King 2007 P. 304

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clever and actually crafting an idea. The design group Johnson Banks asks, “how often do

you think ‘nice idea shame about the logo’? Well, we think this all the time. So we’re trying to

do something about it”26. Which is exactly what they are doing, taking boring, dull and

dead design and revitalizing it into something that will be remembered and last. It is

very common in today’s design world for there to be “great design suffocated by strategy

and great ideas stifled by dull design”27. Although

“the other side of creativity is the acceptance side. When is the creator happy with his

or her creation? That ‘aesthetic sense’ may be as important as the generation of ideas.

The aesthetic sense needs to consider what will communicate.”28

It’s all about communication. If a design doesn’t communicate then it doesn’t work as

design, it is just an image or a pretty piece of work. For design to really function in the

world there needs to be a message for people to grasp and to remember. “Do not put

your cleverness before the communication”29. Although the job of designers is to be clever

and witty, a great idea should never stand between the audience and the message.

Design is there to help people understand a brand or a product and make them want to

use it. If an idea is all that the viewer can see or relate to then it will overshadow the

point of the design in the first place.

Informative wit is a great kind of humour that has a level of subtlety that still screams

communication loud and clear. It is the kind that works hand in hand with the message

to produce something that just works.

A prime example of successful informative wit is Milton Glaser’s ‘I heart NY’ logo (fig

14). ‘I heart NY’ was the basis for an ad campaign promoting tourism in New York in

the late 1970’s and is unlikely to end any time soon. The logo consists of a slab serif

typeface named American typewriter and the use of a pop style icon representing love.

26 ‘In a Nut Shell’ [online] [11th November 2010] http://www.johnsonbanks.co.uk/ 27 ‘In a Nut Shell’ [online] [11th November 2010] http://www.johnsonbanks.co.uk/ 28 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Op cit P.9 29 Arden, P. What Ever You Think, Think The Opposite, Penguin 2006 P. 36

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New York needed all the help it could get to combat the baleful publicity representing

the dangerous place it was. 30

During an interview on his classic logo Glaser stated, “I felt excited my design had a sense

of inevitability. The form and the content could not be taken apart”31. The design itself works

because of the cool geometric letters and the way in which they are positioned above

each other.

“There is another thing that happens, too. To understand the design you have to

translate it. First you have to figure out that the ‘I’ is a complete word, then you have

to figure out that the heart symbol is for an experience, then you have to figure out that

‘NY’ are initials for a place. We know the issue in all communication is moving the

brain, and puzzles move the brain. This one makes everyone feel good because they

solved the problem.”32

This proves that wit and communication can work together seamlessly to generate

something that works on numerous levels. Due to its simplicity this design has become

unequivocally timeless and helped a city to transform itself into the monumental place it

is today.

The advertisement for Pirelli Slippers, 1962 (fig 15) was designed by Fletcher, Forbes

and Gill. the forerunning studio for the incredibly successful design agency, Pentagram.

One of these, Bob Gill is a designer who relishes problem solving, is a good paradigm of

someone who works well with informative wit. The Pirelli Slippers Campaign, which

stretched the full length of a double-decker bus, merged photographic legs with the

actual passengers’ heads through the windows.33 It really relays the vibrant brightness of

the 1960’s and uses shift wit to induce amusement as well as promote the message.

30 Sooke. A, I Heart Milton Glaser, Meek. J, BBC Radio 4, February 10th 2011, 30 minutes 31 ‘Milton Glaser, His Heart was in the Right Place’ [online] [March 9th 2011] www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art-features/milton-glaser-his-heart-was-in-the-right-place 32 ‘Milton Glaser, His Heart was in the Right Place’ [online] [March 9th 2011] www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art-features/milton-glaser-his-heart-was-in-the-right-place 33 ‘Pirelli Slipper Campaign’ [online] [March 9th 2011]

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Alan Fletcher from Pentagram, was an adamant believer of the importance of ideas.

Although he believed that ideas, though sometimes seditious and sometimes can “seize

control”34, they are still the key to alternate ways of thinking.

“A notion is a small idea, a brainwave, a cute whim, a cockamamie thought –

something of small consequence and little stamina. Real Ideas on the other hand are

of a different order. They have dimension and are resilient and flexible.”35

This is evidence of the value of substance and concept.

During an interview with Bob Gill (a successful American designer and illustrator, who

later went on to write many books and began the D&AD – Designers and Art Directors

Association) he stated that “if a designer has a sense of humor, and if a witty solution does

the job, that's fine.”36 This insinuates that as long as the idea is not forced, then the use

of wit is perfect, but it doesn’t always work and there is a definite need for the designer

to understand what types of wit and humour will be comprehended by the audience and

what would leave them curious.

The concept and the message are tightly interwoven with communication and the

viewer is what ties it all together. Semiotics is an important part of this communication

and a subdivision of this is pragmatics, the relationship between signs and the effects

they have on the viewer, particularly the ability of the viewer to understand the design.

Roland Barthes, a French linguist and philosopher from the 20th Century studied

semiotics as an attitude rather than a process.37 He believed the importance lay in

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/nov/11/art 34 Fletcher, A, The Art of Looking Sideways, London: Phaidon Press Ltd 2001 P. 72 35 Fletcher, A, The Art of Looking Sideways, London: Phaidon Press Ltd 2001 P. 73 36 Mestraud. A, (alexandra.mestraud@students.plymouth.ac.uk), A few questions on wit within Graphic

design, Email to, Bob Gill, (bobgilletc@nyc.rr.com) 17 March 2011 16:41pm 37 ‘Ronald Barthes – Semiotics’ [online] [March 11th 2011] http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~comm300/mary/semiotics/barthes.theory.html

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functionality, which leads to the significance of the working relationship between wit and

communication. Barthes’ explains through his theories that semiotics can refer to this

in a variety of different categories. Wit falls under ‘discourse’, which speaks of messages

that serve a communicative function and can be fairly complex and ‘mythic signs’ which

are messages that denote simplicity and ‘go without saying’ and require no working out

or deciphering.38

As long as wit can coincide with structure and communication, then the audience can

anticipate the feeling that emanates when humour and wit are successful. Graphic

design is aiming for the remembrance created by successful wit.

38 “Ronald Barthes Terms’ [online] [March 11th 2011] http://www.ic.arizona.edu/~comm300/mary/semiotics/barthes.terms.html

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Chapter Three: A Smile Within The Mind, what does wit, do?

22

“Wit is the sudden marriage of ideas which before their union were not perceived to have any

relation”.39 Samuel Langhorne Clemens better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was

an American author and humourist famous for novels such as ‘The Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn’. He was a writer renowned for intellectual humour, and firmly

embraced the notion that wit is a combination of brilliant ideas whose unity causes an

extremely pleasant reaction within the brain.

Often referred to as the inside smile, this is the result of wit in its most unadulterated

form, the familiar with a twist, which is always a hit. “Some witty ideas provoke a laugh,

some a smile, some an inward nod of respect, some a feeling of awe.”40 This is a careful

combination of the raw materials that create success, surprise and identification. The

balance between these two is extremely important, the designer needs to make their

audience feel secure within something they can relate to and surprise and engage them

to incite a response. “Making their customers sit up and take notice of their messages”41

Designers are primarily ‘salesmen’ and they are selling messages, to do this they need to

seduce the audience with intrigue. Intrigue always wins attention as it manipulates the

viewer into staying with the message until their curiosity has been satisfied, giving the

communication a head start. This is sometimes something that designers forget as

“Nobody says to you: ‘What you’ve got to worry about is whether someone actually

reads this’. Wit can be the difference between a communication that is glanced at for

ten seconds and one that is pored over for ten minutes.”42

This is all a workout for intelligence, requiring the viewer to work at getting the reward.

“When wit is involved, the designer never travels 100% of the way. The idea has to be ‘seen’

or decoded, and this demands an active recipient.”43

39 Twain M, Mark Twain's notebooks & journals, Volume 3, California USA: University of California Press 1979 P. 172 40 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Op cit P. 16 41 Johnson, M. Op cit 2002 P.10 42 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Op cit P. 18

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The original dictionary definition of the noun ‘wit’ means,

“the keen perception and cleverly apt expression of those connections between ideas

that awaken amusement and pleasure and the talent or quality of using unexpected

associations between contrasting or disparate words or ideas to make a clever

humorous effect.”44

This ensures that a level of understanding and intelligence is a necessity with wit. “Witty

thinking is always structural. It is not witty for a designer to decide to use Garamond as a

typeface for a particular job – unless he or she uses Garamond to set the word Helvetica on a

t-shirt.”45 This idea combines the modern and the old fashioned, twisting them together

to stimulate the audience into amusement by the pun.

Designers actually play off spoken concepts as regularly as they play off visual ones;

doing this contains a certain kind of thinking, a leap that is not always logical and is

always unexpected but has an unquestionable amount of precision. Wit is accomplished

on a level of understanding and intelligence, adjusting something to be understood the

way the designer wants, combining surprise with the familiar. Although wit does not

always mean funny, it can be a clever way to make information easier to digest. It takes

a design problem and breaks it down into sizeable chunks ready to be absorbed by the

target audience.

“ Ask a ‘creative’ within design and advertising what it is they do, and many will explain to you

that they are a ‘problem-solver’”46. This is what graphic designers aim to achieve, to take a

company’s ‘problem’ and create a solution that not only grasps the attention of the type

of clientele they require, but also invents an individual and original identity that suits the

company’s needs. This is why designers use wit and humour within their work. The

corporate world is a constant battle for attention nd wit achieves the two main 43 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Op cit P. 19 44 ‘The Definition of Wit’ [online] 22nd November 2010] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/wit 45 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Op cit P. 15 46 Johnson, M. Problem Solved, United Kingdom, London: Phaidon Press 2002 p. 6

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purposes of design, time and memory. “Designers need all the help they can get. As they

consider the tools at their disposal, what has more seductiveness and staying power than wit?”47

Nothing seems to surpass the warmth, depth and pleasure gained from using forms of

wit throughout graphic design.

Johnson Banks is a London based design agency that specialises in the idea behind the

design. Having a good idea is the basis to their design ethic. Without trying to be

humorous Johnson Banks have developed a way of accidentally adding wit to their work.

“We don’t sit down and say ‘now let’s do something funny today’. Even when we try to

do a straight job it often gets ever-so-slightly twisted somehow.”48 This gives their

projects that something extra that makes people remember them.

A particular project they undertook for the British Council (fig 16) worked with how to

make the eccentricities of the English language more engaging for teaching English as a

foreign language. By taking amusing actions, scenarios or playful imagery they produced

forty-two postcards to deal with difficult verbs, plurals and superlatives. The clever use

of wit here helps the student remember the language. For example, to approach

irregular verbs they produced three images of a cocktail full, half full and totally empty

with the words beneath reading drink, drank, drunk. This refers not only to the notion

of the glass having been drunk out of but also the other take on the word ‘drunk’, a

clever yet simple play on words.49

Other design agencies such as Lewis Moberly work with a similarly literally sense of wit.

They use the idea as a total statement of verbal truth and transform it into something

visual, providing the audience with the instant click that the designer took to achieve the

idea in the first place. One of their projects was the design of a card in motion for the

photographer Laurie Evans in 1993 (fig 17). The design was an image of the

photographer sliced into strips so that if blown on it would give the appearance of

47 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Op cit P. 23 48 Johnson, M ‘Answer your questions’ [online] [11th November 2010] www.johnsonbanks.co.uk 49 ‘Johnson Banks, Recent Projects’ [online] [11th November 2010] www.johnsonbanks.co.uk

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movement. This was to relate to the fact that the photographer himself was moving

studios.

Subsequently Saul Bass, a designer from Los Angeles, works with a different type of

humour. The unexpected. His philosophy revolves around pursuing the opposite

direction to what the audience expects. He strives to push the boundaries of

convention delving into the irrational and relieving himself of all ties to logical process.

“I could then use juxtaposition to startle, stimulate or seduce the viewer into examining the

work and giving it a few moments of their time.”50

This is epitomised in his designs for the opening credits and promotional work of

‘Anatomy of a Murder’ created in 1959 (fig 18 and 19). The project had the distinct

variables of refinement and loose, improvisatory enticement comprised of almost

disjointed elements. These were presented through cut off human limbs created from

cut out paper depicting the dismembering components to murder in decorative shapes

and in a virtually non-threatening manner. 51

“Echoing the deliberate manner in which the film dissects the circumstances of a

murder case the credits also provide some witty juxtapositions of titles and images.”52

This leaves the viewer anticipating the content of the film ahead and in awe of the

complexity of the titles design.

Alan Fletcher was a designer by-product of both Swiss and American design influences,

therefore the conformity and the ‘wisecrack’ sides to design. He was constantly battling

with the never-ending flow of witticisms that naturally occurred to his brain. His way

of working progressed to form one that almost creates perfect communication. The dull

50 McAlhone, B and Stuart D Op cit P. 171 51 Anatomy of a Murder, opening credits, Preminge. O, Bass. S, www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLtRcd-BXQ8, 1959, 1 minute 30 seconds 52 ‘Saul Bass – Anatomy of a Murder’ [online] [18th March 2011] http://notcoming.com/saulbass/caps_anatomyofamurder.php

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and boring ingredients consistently moulded into something that the audience is always

able to appreciate and relate to.

His work for ‘Designer’s Saturday’ (fig 20) was a project where he was able to choose

his own boundaries and he decided to take the three most boring colours (the primary

colours) and the three most boring shapes (a square, a triangle and a circle) and most

boring element of all the colour grey; and turn them on their head to create something

that the viewer instantly establishes as a fun, light- hearted party. He accomplishes this

purely by pencil drawn attachments to each of the shapes so that they represent a kite,

a balloon and a cocktail glass. Simple yet effective.

This is the exact reaction that wit can achieve out of an audience that other types of

design can sometimes struggle with, and the reaction is what is of the utmost

importance. The reaction has the ability to change people’s perceptions on what a

product or a company is and that helps to distinguish how successful that company or

product will be. Wit is what is needed to persuade companies to take bigger risks with

their promotional strategies. This characterises its importance and its commercial

benefits, to make people realise it is possible to be creative and strategic within identity

and branding. By breaking down a problem to its unprocessed core the designer can

decipher how to tactically develop a compelling solution that is not oppressed by dull

design.

This concept of the idea behind the design is seemingly a natural process slowly

prompting the development of how we perceive design as a whole. It has gradually

opened up new lines of clearer communication between designer, brand and the public.

Wit has helped to form new ways of creating design and developed new perspectives on

how to make graphic design more responsive and forthcoming with direct information.

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Conclusion

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Wit has travelled through design, illustration, art and literature for centuries and can be

witnessed in many shapes and forms. This can now be established through the

progression of this dissertation that wit is crucial for the development of

communication; but its usage is strongly determined by target audience, situation,

problems and suitable messages. Wit is not always the appropriate route and as

functionality is critical to successful design; other elements such as aesthetics, layout and

typography can equally provide good forms of communication.

These other forms of graphic design can sometimes provide much clearer pathways of

communication connecting the target audience and the message in a very

straightforward manner. They eliminate the need for a pun or humour yet can still

produce the desired reaction or a nod of respect. This is developed though a concept

that revels in such levels of simplicity and contains no hidden meaning that the audience

will never struggle to understand. Although with this style of design the viewer is not

required to do any of the work, thinking is not needed and even though the

communication is immediately understood it has no staying power within the mind,

there is nothing that grasps people long enough for it to stick with them.

Although it is one of the key tools in this endless need for retained attention, the desire

to use wit can sometimes be confronted by lack of ability. Not all designers find wit and

humour come naturally to them, which poses the question, is the point of graphic

communication about ideas rather than the use of wit? The answer is of course yes;

ideas and conceptual thinking are the star ingredients in the recipe for great design. We

would not have discovered the importance of this without wit providing the art of being

quick and clever to capture the audience with the perfect amount of controlled comfort

combined with surprise.

Therefore, wit has enhanced graphic design to think outside the box and work outside

the boundaries of pretty but meaningless imagery. Modern designers almost need a

reminder sometimes of the importance of an idea and a unique selling point. How does

any designer expect interest, when there is no concept to be grasped or entangled with?

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Wit can give this reminder. When addressing a target audience we as designers must be

attentive and aware of the need of the mind to be inquisitive, and how we can tap into

this need and feed it, through witty design, as it can entice the mind into many different

types of reactions which cannot be achieved through mere looks. The reaction is what

is important to make the viewer see what the designer wants them to see. It becomes

an ever flexible weave that augments design to fit many problems helping us to progress

with communication throughout the modern world. This is what has become the

modern pinnacle in design, the ability to mould an idea to fit a specific situation.

This concept of the idea behind the design is seemingly a natural process slowly

prompting the development of how we perceive design as a whole. It has gradually

opened up new lines of clearer communication between designer, brand and the public.

Wit has helped to form new ways of creating design and developed new perspectives on

how to make graphic design more responsive and forthcoming with direct information.

Wit itself has not changed through its progression in graphic design, but it has altered

how designers today view great work and concepts and if done well, it is the last

element which makes graphic design more triumphant than other ways of gaining

memorable awareness. Real wit can be understood and appreciated continuously when

other styles of design can become outdated and stale. Real wit lasts.