LondOn to LondOff: How a design choice helps Boris Johnson turn off London

While I was on my flight back home after spending two months in the British capital, minds of undecided Londoners were probably occupied by last-minute evaluations of mayoral candidates. The most popular among those who ran for mayor were the then-present mayor Ken Livingstone, and the great grandson of a Turkish journalist Boris Johnson.

Like most elections of our day, the guy nobody seemed to 'like' and 'want to be elected'—'the guy on the right'—was the winner.

When I came back to the British capital 6 weeks later, ceremonies had been done, offices had changed hands and even urgent drastic measures had already been taken—the most famous being against alcohol use on-board public transport.

Interpreting Johnson's statements during his campaign, one could easily see that he saw London as going mad and out-of-track. His first decisions as the mayor only approved this understanding of his politics. What also helped me double-check this approval was a sticker that caught my eye on a red double-decker.

While Livingstone was on duty, and I was taking at least four buses a day, I had become very familiar with the stickers that read LondOn. I would see them every now and then when I lifted my head up from my book and had a brief eye-rest. I have to admit that this kind of color choice in the typesetting of the capital's name jazzed me up a little, in other words, turned me on.

However, this time, Johnson was in control and I was taking a city bus from where the airport shuttle had left me. Involuntarily I stumbled upon the stickers on top of the bus window and BAM! London was no more LondOn.

Call it designer over-sensitivity or the careful eye of the outsider, what matters is that this choice of color use—what seemed like a minor detail about graphic design—served the purpose. Along with the alcohol ban, I, as the other passengers, had become a good boy. Transport in London was much safer now.