We’re Moving Up in the World!
Press Mentions
We are honoured to have some big press mentions this year.
In this blog post, we share a personal story by our founder, Muneebah Waheed.
Story time
Back in 2013, 10th April to be precise, my previous boss, (one of the directors of a telecoms startup) and I drove down to The Design Council to listen to a keynote talk by Marty Neumeier.
We were excited to meet the man who had guided us through the simplecall branding process with his book The Brand Gap.
And now he was promoting his new book Meta Skills.
He was introduced by someone I didn’t know. He briefly spoke about copywriting and then said something quite profound.
He mentioned, “Great copywriters are…”
‘Word-smiths’, I guessed? ‘Profound with language?’, ‘Knowledgable about etymology?’, ‘Skilled with phonetics?’ — nope.
He finished his sentence with something that surprised me, “first and foremost great thinkers”.
The best copywriters are great thinkers… humm. Interesting. I always valued thinking and so, without realising it at the time, this idea would swim around in my head long after the event.
After Marty’s talk we were told where to queue to get a signed copy of the book.
Unexpectedly my boss began gushing in front of Marty. A little embarrassed, I still managed to ask him career advice for designers.
He said “Know your design heroes and follow them!” and then signed my book.
The event faded into a warm memory, and I would go on to take Marty’s advice seriously. But the surprising thing that stuck with me the most was said by the unknown event host.
The Memory Re-emerges
A few years passed but the memory still lingered whenever I was copywriting.
“…the best copywriters are great thinkers.”
So I decided to look up who the host was and see if I could get any more information.
It had been a long time, but luckily I found a postcard tucked in Marty’s book with the event host’s details:
Liquid Agency,
President: Mark Shaw
After a Google search I realised he had written a book. *Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing, Second Edition, by Mark Shaw. I quickly bought it.
This book was described as, ‘an inspiration and bible to many across the globe, both those working in the industry and those studying the craft of writing in business’.
Over the next 9 years I went on to dive in and out of this book as I grew as a professional. I even took it with me as a prop for a photoshoot for my copywriting-agency client.
PRESENT DAY
Now fast forward to 2022 and I Google myself as advised by Daniel Priestley; to see if there are any serial killers associated with my name and I stumble across this link*.
I was quoted in a book? What?!
I scroll to the top and see the book title, *Copywriting: Successful Writing for Design, Advertising and Marketing, Third Edition, By Gyles Lingwood and Mark Shaw.
I was left a little gobsmacked, to be honest.
*Here’s the full article where my quote is referenced from.
I looked up Mark Shaw but read that he has sadly passed.
It was Gyles Lingford, Professor of Business Creativity & Director of Education (Arts), who read my article, quoted and graciously included me in the third edition.
I’m quite humbled and honoured to be included but I still have no idea how this happened. The least I can do is urge all readers to go and grab a copy of his book.
“Mark Shaw, one of the most well-respected figures of the Nottingham creative sector, has been described as a “genius” by his peers.”
I hope that Mark’s work inspires others as much as it has me.
Other Press Mentions
This isn’t the first time this has happened.
Earlier this year, I found that I had been quoted in a Vodafone article* by a mystery author — thank you.
*Here’s the full article they quoted me from.
It’s wonderful to learn that your articles are being read and then find your quotes scattered around the web.
I hope my writing continues to help purpose-driven startups with their branding while they scale.
Lessons Learned
Always Google yourself to see if there are any serial killers that share your name.
We are pleased to announce we are now officially mentoring with Allia.
Plus 5 FREE tickets up for grabs!
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