Sneaky designers

I guess you'd have to say I'm a fan of Regina Lynn's contributions to Wired Magazine. And also indebted to her, since her reporting within her particular area of expertise was very helpful when I was researching a recent writing project. Here she reports about naughty designers who have integrated phallic symbols into commercial graphic logos.

Now the 'confessional' temptations of blogging I have, I think, resisted up to now. But a story from my dim, distant past came to mind when I read Regina's piece.

1972 in Paris. The chap on the left, John Casblancas, was a friend of mine and he had the notion of starting a very exclusive model agency which would launch with only eleven top girls.

We all agreed that his concept was more management than agency and, in a 12th floor flat with a panoramic view of Paris, it was agreed that the venture would be christened Elite Model Management.

My business in those days was publishing promotional materials for model agencies and, yes, it was fun. Johnny in particular loved being surrounded by beauties and he was very, very popular with them too. Very. I was looking out at night-time Paris, thinking vaguely that the new agency needed a logo, even a provisional one.

My glance fell on a passing truck, a rental from the French firm Citer.

The typography was clean and the "ite" in the middle set me thinking. And my inebriated or otherwise awareness-enhanced brain free-associated with Johnny's reputation.

Out with the Pentel, and in no time at all the NSFW sketch of a logo for Elite was causing much mirth.

Then came the realisation that by, well, truncating the risers (that is the correct typographic term) we would have a perfectly serviceable logo. Expensive graphic designers could wait until the new venture had settled down and earned some money.

The logo remains, twenty-four years later, unchanged. And it owed its origin to being young(er) in Paris, a pinch of plagiarism and a dash of prurience.