Why Proofreading still matters…
Lessons to be learnt from the Great North Run Medal Mistake
In the fast-paced digital era, with short attention spans and constant doom scrolling means consuming an excessive amount of content, often not properly processing it, the value of proofreading has become dangerously underrated. A prime example this week was the 2025 Great North Run medals, where thousands of runners proudly received engravings with the wrong map - Sunderland’s River Wear instead of Newcastle’s River Tyne, the actual race route.
Even race founder Sir Brendan Foster, who publicly admired the design, didn’t spot the error. Organisers could only cringe and laugh, and issued a pun-filled apology: “Wear sorry!”
As graphic designers, we all know the process: early concepts get presented, shared, refined, and approved beefore going to print. Proofs are then created, checked, and signed off before anything goes to production. So how did this get missed and raises a bigger question: are we rushing approvals, or relying too much on familiarity to catch errors?
This costly mishap is a timely reminder of what goes wrong when proofreading is rushed, especially in print. Unlike digital platforms and social posts, where content can be quickly corrected or reposted, printed pieces like medals, T-shirts, and brochures become permanent reminders of our mistakes.
Both the Design Council and AIGA stress the importance of detail and accountability in good design practice. Proofreading isn’t just about catching typos. It’s about checking maps, dates, icons, type, and technical details like resolution and colour settings before final sign-off.
How to avoid a “Wear sorry” moment
Here are 3 steps I live by when proofreading:
✅ Always proof with fresh eyes, never before home time and ideally with someone outside the project who won’t miss the glaringly obvious.
✅ Print a proof out and sit away from your screen in a quiet room. It may seem ‘old school’ but with emails pinging up on your screen or other interuptions you are bound to miss something
✅ Get subject-matter experts to confirm local details (like geography, in this case!).
And lastly, if you have to get approval from a client, make sure you do it ‘in writing’, i.e, “I have checked this and am happy to proceed to print”. Email is fine, as long as you have evidence of a digital paper trail, in case there is a dispute and the client refuses to pay.
Creativity and speed are important, but they should never come at the expense of accuracy. Ultimately, great design isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about care, precision, and the confidence that every project we release reflects our highest standards.