Howard Staunton
In 1849 Nathaniel Cook registered a chess set design, and Jaques of London got the manufacturing rights. Staunton advertised the new set in his Illustrated London News chess column, pointing out that the pieces were easily identifiable, very stable, and good-looking. At the start, the label for each box was signed by Staunton in ink; later, his signature was printed on the Jacques label. He was paid by Jaques not just for his signature, but also for the plugs he put in the Illustrated London News. Each set sold brought him a fee. The design became popular, and 'Staunton pattern' sets been the standard for competitive events ever since.