Brain teasing word spaghetti …

To an expert, Sudoku is a mildly testing brain workout.

To a beginner, it’s a devilishly testing unfathomable puzzle.

But to all its devotees it’s like a highly addictive narcotic. Once you’ve had your first fix, you’re hooked.

Historians believe that it originated in India or China in around 900AD, but it was the genius of Maki Kaji, a Japanese businessman, who popularised it in 1984.

He sadly passed away earlier this month, but his brainchild lives on with Sudoku puzzlers all over the world.

Much of its popularity stems from its simplicity and the ability to transcend language barriers – but also in its name which is about as easy to remember as it can be.

But that wasn’t always the case.

Originally, Kaji had named it Suji-wa-Dokushin-ni-Kagiru meaning “Numbers should be single, like a bachelor”.

Hardly rolls of the tongue, does it?

Imagine popping into WH Smith and asking at the counter if they’ve got any Suji-Whatchamacallit puzzle books? It’s just not going to happen, is it!

It’s word spaghetti like this that we so often see in sales copy – and it’s an instant turn-off.

If you’re wondering, Su means Numbers, and Doku means Unmarried, and it took Kaji around 25 seconds to come up with the ingenious name.

Now I’m not promising we can do it in 25 seconds… but we can help you apply a touch of magic on anything from Brochures to Roller Banners.

If you want a sounding board or just want to bend my ear, I’m on hand for a chat about anything to do with Print or Web Design.

Stay safe.

Alec