RE: Punctuation for slogans...

["McClare, Scott" <smcclare -at- neptec -dot- com>]

Michelle Vina-Baltsas asked:

> Grammatically speaking, should slogans be punctuated (ex. enclose with
> quotes)? I've looked in all my style references/grammar books and they 
> indicate, but I just thought I'd double-check with the pros.

For better or for worse, the normal rules of grammar and style don't really
apply to slogans.  My personal, subjective opinion is this:  If you want
your slogan to have a conservative, traditional sort of look, then by all
means enclose it in quotation marks:

                                  ACME LTD.
       "Flooding the Market with Self-Destructive Gadgetry since 1936"

Eliminating the quotes might make it look a little more contemporary (as
would choice of typeface, accompanying logos/graphics, and probably dozens
of other factors I'm nowhere near qualified to opine on).  Also, there are a
lot of hand-produced signs out there that use quotation marks as emphasis,
e.g.:

     "Please KEEP OFF the Grass"

     Absolutely "No" Smoking

so if you don't want your slogan to look amateurish, take care.

Regarding other punctuation, looking over the slogans on various packaging
items at my desk, I note that "Soup that Eats Like a Meal," "Always
Coca-Cola," and "The Champagne of Ginger Ales" are not punctuated.  OTOH,
"Where do you want to go today?" is, as is Coke's older slogan, "It's the
real thing." [sic]

Something tells me there's no rule to speak of.  8-)

Take care,

Scott McClare
"Confusing the Issue since 1997"

-- 
                    Scott A. McClare - Technical Writer
             Neptec Design Group Ltd., Kanata, Ontario, Canada
                            (613) 599-7603 x504
                            smcclare -at- neptec -dot- com