Winter 2006
Saying NO!
No no no no no no no no no no no no . . .
Daniel Eatock’s talk ‘Saying NO!’ was given at Eye Forum no. 1, ‘Burning Issues’, which took place at the RSA in London, 23 November 2006.
On – off
Black – white
Yes – no
An order
A defiant answer
No thank you
No way
No shit
No clue
Just say no
Opposite of yes
Positive no
No manifesto
No dropping litter
No urban 4x4’s
No blocking cycle lanes
No religion
No junk email
No telemarketing
No smoking
No ignoring people
No perfume
No dumb advertising
No drink driving
No copying ideas
No objectification of women in advertising
No dumping car batteries
No free pitches
No sugar in coffee
No hitting
No leaving the tap running whilst cleaning your teeth
No leaving the TV on standby
No freewheeling
No fast food
No fly tipping
No poker websites
No leaving the fridge door open
No bank charges
No fee for withdrawing money from cash machines
No bending the corner of a page in a book as a page marker
No skirting boards
No down lighters
No carpet
No automatic cars
No being late
No replying to group emails
No paying rent
No hiding grey hair
No secrets
No milk
No fashion trainers
No war
No gold jewellery
No diamonds
No guns
No cycling fast past pedestrians on canal tow paths
No vicious dogs without leads
No spitting
No spitting chewing gum on the street
No adding service charge and also leaving room for a gratuity on the bill
No driving slow in the fast lane
No sitting guarding an empty table in a café whilst your partner queues up
No eating too much
No chewing the ends of pencils and pens
No leaving the washing up after dinner
No serifs
No Spray Mount
No direct mail marketing
No decoration
No fireworks sold to children
No coffee before bed
No instant coffee
No performance enhancing drugs
No undertaking on motorways
No praying
No building new buildings to look old
No retro design
No music packaging
No checking emails after 8pm
No working at weekends
No Christmas decorations
No vacuum cleaner bags
No television on holiday
No sunbeds
No fake tan
No Flash websites
No celebrating Christmas in November
No Christmas shopping
No watching others do the work
No stepping back
No killing whales
No fur coats
No designer handbags
No talking on mobile phones whilst driving
No ghosts
No God
No U F Os
No packaging of fruit and vegetables
No over packaging of general goods
No leaving the lights on whilst you’re out
No microwave meals
No putting feet on the seats on public transport
No boiling more water than you need
No tattoos
No body piercings
No frozen food
No motorbikes and scooters in the cycle area at traffic lights
No back break on fixed wheel bikes
No fashion accessories
No limousines and stretched Hummers
No pissing in the street
No gentlemen’s clubs
No suicide
No monopolies
No hiding from the truth
No hunting animals for sport
No graffiti
No vandalism of private or public property
No over-selling of seats on aeroplanes
No strong cleaning products in restaurants whilst diners are still eating
No eat as much as you like buffets
No long fingernails
No black tie dress code at formal events
No Christenings
No promising things you can’t deliver
No piercing the ears of small children
No pushing in queues
No alcopops
No page three girls in daily newspapers
No Sunday newspaper advertising inserts
No standing on the left hand side of an escalator
No over estimating on clients print quantities, so they end up throwing old stock away
No taking the elevator when you can walk up stairs
No Thanksgiving
No microphone
No voice
Eye Forum no. 1, ‘Burning Issues’, RSA, London, 23.11.06
Daniel Eatock, designer, London
First published online to coincide with Eye no. 62 vol. 16 2006
Eye is the world’s most beautiful and collectable graphic design journal, published quarterly for professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical, informed writing about graphic design and visual culture. It is available from all good design bookshops and online at the Eye shop, where you can buy subscriptions and single issues.
