John Simmons is a writer and consultant on brands. His book We, Me, Them and It and The Invisible Grail argue that the importance of language, storytelling and verbal identity in branding has long been neglected. He co-edited the Economist Guide to Brands and Branding and writes a regular column about brands in the Observer. He is also series editor of Great Brand Stories and author of one of the books in the series, My Sister’s A Barista: How they made Starbucks a home from home.
Dark Angels is particularly informed by John Simmons’ recent work in training. A former director of Interbrand, he now works with companies such as Guinness, Unilever and the Old Vic to help them tell their stories more effectively.
His belief in the value of words and the need for better writing in business led him to co-found the writers’ group 26, which took part in a major exhibition, ’26 Letters,’ shown at the British Library in Autumn 2004.
From the Back Cover
Most of us spend at least part of our working lives writing. Whether you are an accountant or a zoologist, chances are you use the written word every day to inform, to document, to promote and to persuade. Using language effectively is an essential skill at work. Learning to go a step further and use it creatively can bring huge benefits for both you and your business.
Inside every mediocre writer at work, there is a better one wanting to come out. All that we need to release us from our verbal shackles is encouragement, a bit of direction and a positive working environment. This book sets us on the right track. It encourages us to be dark angels: to rebel against business jargon and corporate-speak, engage our emotions as well as our intellect and put our personality into our words.
John Simmons believes writing isn’t just about conveying ideas and information. It can aim much higher: it can offer us entertainment, insight, connection and understanding:
‘Let us explore our potential through words, words that soar off the page, fly out of the screen into the imaginations of others. Let us live up to our abilities as dark angels.’
About the Author
JOHN SIMMONS is a leading proponent of creative language in business, and has written two influential books on the subject – We, Me, Them & It (Texere, 2000) and The Invisible Grail (Texere, 2003). He is also the author of My Sisters a Barista: How They made Starbucks a Home from Home (Cyan, 2004) and co-editor of 26 Letters: Illuminating The Alphabet (Cyan, 2004).
John Simmons was selected by Design Week as one of the “hot 50” people making a difference in design. He was previously a director at Interbrand, the largest brand consultancy in the world.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
This book is about writing: about encouraging writing at work to be more creative. As the business environment continues to change, companies, brands and organisations of all kinds need to be more creative in the way they operate. Only by encouraging greater creativity can businesses ensure that they keep generating fresh ideas to survive and thrive in the twenty-first century.
In this book I aim to help people who need to write at work to understand better how they can explore and use their own creativity with language. This book is for anyone who wants to become a better writer at work.
Writing will help you to communicate more clearly, to make arguments more effectively. But, if we go further, more expressive writing will help you to establish greater personal authority and be respected as someone who should be heeded. If we go further again, more creative writing will help you tell stories better, engage with people, make emotional connections that mean other people really enjoy what you are communicating.
It’s a matter of spreading your wings.
Come fly with me.
[From chapter 1]
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