Puns have often been the source of eye-rolls and disgusted looks in my conversations with friends. I enjoy them. Okay, I’ll be honest… I love them. But while puns are one of the oldest forms of humor, they’re often seen as one of the lowest. Why?

A pun is “a form of word play that deliberately exploits ambiguity between similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect.” It is simply a play on words. Writers throughout the years have remained on one side of the fence or the other — they love them or hate them. Some editors have become so furious about the misuse of puns that they’ve even prohibited them from appearing in their publications (The New York Times for example).

Even though we abhor puns in everyday conversation, we generally find them entertaining in design. Why are puns received differently in the verbal and visual worlds? It’s in the way we communicate. When you hear a pun in conversation, you experience it at a different level than if you were to see it in a logo or on a poster. As Paul Rand so eloquently said, some of his most successful designs were only made possible through the use of puns because they “entertain as well as inform.” Many designers I know are hesitant to use this form of humor in their designs. Sure, puns aren’t perfect for every logo, campaign, or project, but they can connect levels of information about a product or service in a way that’s exciting and memorable for the viewer.

Graphic wit or humor isn’t about being side-splittingly funny. It’s about being just clever enough to take up some space in the viewer’s memory, without coming off as arrogant or desperate for a laugh. If a chuckle comes of it, that’s great. And if it’s just funny or memorable enough to be passed along to a friend, that’s even better. Irony, similar-sounding words, double-meanings… these are all vehicles for puns. Don’t be afraid to try them. Sometimes the smartest thing to do, is make a dumb joke. You might be surprised how well it works.

Examples to the left (from the top):

Herb Lubalin’s ‘Families’ logo.

Paul Rand’s ‘IBM’

The illustrations of Noma Bar.