Bunhill: Daf name change

ON THE subject of stupid names, Bunhill has been getting very hot under his collar recently about the outbreak of corporate name changes. On Friday, Leyland Daf Trucks announced it would, in future, only answer to the name LDV, which makes it sound like a Luncheon Voucher business.

This is almost as silly as Sir Denys Henderson saying, as he once did, that ICI didn't stand for Imperial Chemical Industries, but International, Competitive, Innovative.'

This identity tampering is becoming a plague. Last month, Guardian Royal Exchange embraced an owl as its logo and shortened its name to Guardian. Earlier this year, Union Discount, one of the best known names in the City decided two words were too much for people to remember and now styles itself simply as Union.

The arty corporate identity designers, who are earning fortunes for dinky little logos and slogans, must be laughing all the way to the wine bar. We need more companies like English China Clays, which once changed its name to ECC then changed it back again because it realised its error. Bravo.