Last modified: 2024-10-12 by rob raeside
Keywords: nuffield organization |
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This 1951 British poster / fullpage advertisement shows brand flags
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nuffield_Organization_advertisement_1951_286106681.jpg
- or does it? Nuffield Organization (with a zed!), under that or similar
names, existed roughly from 1949 to 1968 and "was the unincorporated
umbrella-name or promotional name used for the charitable and commercial
interests of owner and donor, William Morris, 1st Viscount Nuffield",
says
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuffield_Organization.
The poster
itself shows six almost identical flags, arrayed in two columns of three
each, all shown stiffly waving but with the same exact effect, all hoisted
on slightly slanted poles pointing to their common upper hoist direction,
the poles being featurelessly white (the ones at the two upper flag rows
hidden behind the foreground flag cloths below) and incongruously fitted
with a golden spear (?) finial and goldweave cord and tassle (only one
tassle per flag).
These six flags share a common design, all showing
a hoist side black panel with a large narrow bold seriffed "N", each with a
varying solid color for the letter and the main panel, which has at its
center varied content, mainly brand logos; these logos were not altered to
match the smooth waving of the surface they are depicted on, being rather
pasted on the area. The overall specs are ~2:3 ratio, with the width of the
black stripe at the hoist being approx. 4/9th of the flag’s height.
The basic flag is a white background and "N", with six variants each showing
lines of text set in narrow sans serif capitals listing all (?) brands/companies
held under the Nuffield umbrella, including the five shown on the other flags:
"Morris · Wolseley · MG ¶ and Riley cars ¶ Morris Commercial Vehicles ¶ Nuffield
Universal Tractors ¶ S.U. Carburetors ¶ Morris Marine Engines".
This could be
therefore seen as a generic/general flag of the Nuffield Organization.
Although the overall design is fetching, I don’t think that this ad is proof for the actual existence of these flags, nor even as the imagined flags of these companies: I think that, given the slogan atop "The World’s leaders in transportation", these flags are merely used as tokens of universality and diversity, attempting, through its varying colors but unified design, to convey the notion that the Nuffield brands / companies have a specific solution for anyone’s needs.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
Orange background and "N", large lettering reading the famous brand name
"Morris" in bold white slab-serif capitals, with a thin black drop shadow lit
from the upper hoist.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
Yellow background and "N", with the well-known MG logo (initials on octogon)
in black, at a fairly small size and no effects. See also MG Rover Group.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
Light blue background and "N", large lettering reading "Wolseley" in bold
yellow capitals, matching its usual grille lettering
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wolseley_illuminating_radiator_badge.jpg
with a thin black drop shadow lit from the upper hoist. More info at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolseley_Motors; this brand existed from 1901
to 1975: it’s unlikely that it had an actual flag.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
Purplish blue background and "N", with the Riley logo on it. This consists of
a black rhombus (horizontally oblong nonrectangular quadrangle), thinly orled
outside in white, with white cursive lettering - its details slightly different
and arguable better drawn than usual: cf.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Riley_logos and esp.
http://seatco.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Riley-logo-660x417.gif.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
image by António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024
Slightly purplish red background and "N", with lettering "Morris-Commercial"
in hyphenated bold sans serif arched white all-caps style. See
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Commercial_Cars.
António Martins-Tuválkin, 18 September 2024