ABSTRACT
Trade characters win recognition only after the elapse of a respectable period of time. Trade characters, however, must be born with a rugged constitution, as the mortality among them, especially during their early existence, is tremendous. No trade character ever took the world by storm immediately after its first bow to the reading public. Trade characters are encountered quite frequently in industrial advertising, their principal objective is to secure attention. Original use of the trade character brought to life by photography. In this particular series, the old gentleman represents Tradition and the young man represents Progress. Trade characters of grotesque kind have at one advantage over their brethren who are composed of mechanical parts. One may change the style of advertising by experimenting with typography and taking liberties with layout, but once a trade character is adopted it should stick for keeps. It is, therefore important that the character selected be right in the first place.
