Brand Question
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- gramme
So over the past couple years we've designed a bunch of product logotypes for a client of ours. For over a year the accepted convention has been "Product Name by Client" (fill in the blank w/ product name and client name).
Now, all of a sudden, even after previously approving the verbiage in all logotypes, the client's legal department is saying we can't say "by Client" after the product name because the pronoun in that case becomes an adjective. I'm no English expert, but I did pay attention in high school grammar. Doesn't ring true to me. It's always been my impression that a pronoun can never become an adjective.
Yes? No? Am I mistaken? I'm up against the possibility of having to re-jigger all 20 some-odd logotypes and would frankly rather not.
- gramme0
In other words they're saying "by Client" is not allowed b/c it becomes an adjective, and must always be a noun.
- Russell_Sprout0
semantics, really.
- but semantics is what legal departments are all about.gramme
- ismith0
Why does it bother them if it's an adjective? I think in this case it becomes an adjective, but what the hell do I know...
- Russell_Sprout0
but on some level, 'by client' can/could technically become a description if said client has a well-known enough persona.
- Nairn0
*shrugs stupidly*
I do know that legal departments are, for the most part, over-indulged, over-zealous, paranoid bastards who do more to hinder than to help, simply to further their continued over-paid existence.
- Which is no hlp, I know - but you're doomed anyway if Legal has got a bee in its bonnet about something.Nairn
- gramme0
I hate legal departments.
In the Lord.
- Russell_Sprout0
I'm sure there are other politics afloat and this was probably just one way [for whatever reasons] that they could *loosely* justify this request.
- jett0
"We can use a noun as an adjective when it precedes a noun that it modifies; a mountain bike is a bike designed for riding up mountains. 'Mountain' functions as an adjective modifying the noun 'bike'. The second noun takes the plural form, while the first behaves like an adjective and consequently does not, unless the word is normally used in the plural (sports hall) or refers to people (women footballers)."
Wiki appears to confirm that as well, and several online dictionaries."Client Product" might be stretched to be considered adjevtical, but it would appear that "Product by Client" does not. "By" being a preposition, I don't think it can convert a proper and specific noun into an adjective.
But this is all lay knowledge. Fighting it could be more costly than making the revision and looking for a way to bill additional services.
- gramme0
Thanks for that jett. Oddly enough, "Client Product" is how they want to change the product phrasing. Seems they are morxing their metaphis, so to speak.
- johndiggity0
i cannot believe people get paid to do that kind of shit.
- wristtattoo0
russell brand *runs