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There’s a myth in circulation, one of those urban legends - you’ve

probably heard it - that Father Christmas, as we know him, was created

by Coca-Cola advertising earlier this century.

Completely untrue, of course. Like most great brands, Father Christmas’s

visual identity has evolved steadily over time, first appearing in

something like his modern style in drawings by the US artist Thomas Nast

for Vanity Fair in the 1860s.

But the myth reflects a sort of poetic truth - what could be more

appropriate than that one great global red-and-white brand should have

created another?

And as global brands go, it’s hard to beat Father Christmas. Implausible

elements - fat bloke, white hair and beard, red suit, white fur

trimming, black boots - define the dominant player in the

Christmas-gift-giving market.

Another key point: the visual identity is perfect for the marketing

strategy - franchising deals with department stores, children’s party

organisers and suchlike. An out-of-work actor, a couple of pillows down

his front, some cheap red cloth and nylon fur and all you need is MDF

for the grotto and a sack for the presents.

Pedants say that the secondary brand iconography - reindeer, elves - are

harder to replicate, although sawn-off coat-stand tops, donkeys and

Araldite can deal with the former.

But it’s foolish to quibble. Great design sustains a global business,

the best part of a couple of millennia old, led by a single elderly fat

cat, which even Richard Branson will surely never dare have a pop at.