After the ASI show in 1968, Mac Fletcher and his partner Alan Wesley were at O'Hare Airport in Chicago. On an ordinary cocktail napkin, they drew the icon that would come to be associated with Fletcher's company for the next 28 years.
Mac's goal was to have a symbol that would not scream "advertisement," a symbol that he could print in one color and count on to be long lived. A simple exclamation point (!) achieved his goal and became known as the "Idea Sign." When Jack Barnhardt joined Mac in February of 1969, his first assignment was to take the cocktail napkin drawing and turn it into the iconic art that would come to officially represent their company. This icon survived four company name changes and all the telephone numbers associated with these changes.
In May of 1994, Mac Fletcher was critically injured on a business trip in China. Sadly, these injuries led to the sale of his company and to his eventual death in January of 1996. Although the sales people who were at Fletcher-Barnhardt & White in 1994 have gone many ways, most are still in the promotional business; in fact, many of us have started our own companies. As tribute to the late Mac Fletcher and his partners for their contribution to our professional lives, some of us use a version of the exclamation point as our company logo.
Long live the !
