You possibly haven’t come across a proving iron at work. It’s an unusual piece of studio equipment we used to use way back and I came across mine at the weekend, rummaging around in the shed looking for a few old ideas I’m sure I saved in a jar.

We used to bring out the Proving Iron only occasionally - it’s a fearsome piece of studio equipment - and used it to prove that the thing we were being asked to design to - so a brand, a product, anything really - was really all that it claimed to be.

By gently pressing (or offering to. Sometimes that was enough) against the claim being made - or the proposition being called or the ‘product-truth’, benefit or USP (ha ha! Remember them?) - you could test just how authentic or truthful it was being. A way of getting to the point (so to speak) and the real heart of the matter, rather than just swallowing any old flannel.

It resulted in amazingly good work (well, or in my case, less mediocre) as a result. I’m going to dust mine off and use it on my very next project.

Shame we don’t see them anymore, but it’s rather a clumbersome thing to lug around, especially now we’re all hot-desking or digitally nomading. I wonder if it could work as an app? 

Oh, and never did find that jar of ideas. Must have recycled them.
And apologies to Man Ray.