Many sides of complex character
By Emma Bache
CONTINUING the occasional series our resident graphologist encounters a complex character, moody and eccentric by turns, who is blessed with a lightning quick grasp of new concepts. A buoyant spirit is countered by an inner anxiety and tension.
Life and career of Robin Wight.
ROBIN WIGHT began his career in advertising in an unusual way. While still an undergraduate at Cambridge he set up his first student advertising agency.
After working as a copywriter in a number of agencies including Collett Dickinson Pearce and Partners, he helped to set up Wight Collins Rutherford Scott in 1979.
WCRS, as the agency became after its public flotation in 1982, is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Havas Advertising, Europe’s largest advertising group.
As chairman of WCRS, Wight has developed an expertise in the world of mobile telecommunications. In 1994 he was part of the team that helped to originate and develop the Orange brand. In January 2000 he led the team that was appointed by Vodafone as their UK agency and by Vizzavi as their European agency. Clients of WCRS include Camelot, BMW, Mini, First Direct, Debenhams and Prudential.
This is not someone who suffers fools gladly. Bache writes: “Emotionally volatile, they exude a ‘come here - go away’ approach which is more than likely to leave others confused and perplexed.”
The writer has literary ability but a low boredom threshold. Hobbies tend to be spontaneous and lively. This is someone who is fuelled by nervous energy and is at risk from “burn-out” or exhaustion.
Bache writes: “Detail and method take a back seat to ingenuity and results, but the writer is a one-off and has a genius for enlightened and unabashed eccentricity and originality.”
Who can this be?
A free spirit who does not suffer fools gladly
IN THE latest in our graphology series our resident graphologist samples the handwriting of Robin Wight, chairman of WCRS, the advertising agency. Bache does not know the identity or gender of her subjects..
“This handwriting has been simplified almost to the point of neglect and alternates between printing with capitals and an unrhythmic disconnected shorthand. Despite the somewhat wayward appearance, the writer has managed to retain an uneasy balance between the zones. There is no doubt that the middle zone, the natural home of the ego, tends to predominate so although he/she is self-assured and self-reliant there is an egocentric and ambitious streak that will not dither for man nor time.
Although not a natural strategist, the writer has a quick and creative mind that will absorb information, events and people as if by osmosis and use the knowledge to his/her best advantage. However, there is inconsistency of purpose owing to the writer’s buoyant spirit and ambition on the one hand but inner anxiety and tension on the other. The rising baseline and simplified letter formations suggest speed of thought and speech patterns and a spontaneity in all forms of communication. On closer inspection the irregular slant and disconnection of letters suggest a moodier, more unsettled character that is in conflict with his/her social self.
The fact is that the writer is sometimes ill-equipped to cope with his/her own and rather eccentric persona.
Emotionally volatile, the writer exudes a “come here, go away” approach, which is more than likely to leave others confused and perplexed. The lower zone pulling gently to the left implies a reliance on others for emotional stability and the larger than average writing and width of letters show a dislike of being alone.
Fortunately, the margins are quite well balanced and uniformally wide which lends the writer a socially poised and controlled exterior and one that wants to be clearly understood. The varying slant and disjointed script imply some agitation and impatience which will surely be evident in all but the most formal of occasions.
The letter formations are a combination of arcade and thread which, once again, points to an ambivalence of reserve and formality coupled with enormously creative and speedy thought processes. He/she can be relied upon to think and act in an unusual or contrary way to the norm.
The writer is sensitive and impressionable and his/her curiosity will lead him/her into unusual situations. This free spirit is well able to cover the tracks of any actions and may cause unnecessary trouble for him/herself at a later date. However, the open ovals suggest the writer is not particularly secretive and indeed the lack of loops in any zone means that he/she takes a direct route to problem solving and can make decisions based on imagination not emotion.
Highly original with a lightning quick grasp of new concepts there is literary ability but a low boredom threshold so activities and hobbies tend to be spontaneous and lively either in terms of the physical or intellectual. Fools are not suffered gladly and close colleagues and friends are likely to be chosen for their similar qualities.
There is sporadic alternation between printing and writing which only lends credence to the confusion at the heart of this character. Sophistication and immaturity go hand in hand, which in itself softens and adds charm to an otherwise impatient and strong-willed personality. This type of writer is often a successful leader and will naturally gravitate to the front if not to the top of whatever he/she does.
Too many capital letters in a script can denote a writer who gets bogged down with inessential details at the expense of clarity of purpose. Despite a strong sense of self-preservation and an intolerance for the stress of routine, the writer’s sheer nervous energy can have the reverse effect of what he/she really wants. The lower zone strokes are somewhat feeble and tail off, suggesting occasional lapses of energy and physical co-ordination. The writer can suffer all too easily from “burn-out” or exhaustion.
A difficult character fully to understand or get close to as he/she gives more to inner development of abilities and resources than emotional matters. Detail and method take a back seat to ingenuity and results but the writer is a one-off and has a genius for enlightened and unabashed eccentricity and originality.”