A student asked me about why I included the topic of branding in the interview form (that you filled out on Tuesday).
Branding surrounds us (for better or worse). Once you become aware of the effects that brands can have on you it is hard not to have an opinion about the subject. It is a well known fact that the earlier a person is introduced to a brand name (like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Annie's Macaroni and Cheese, etc.) the more loyal this person will be to the brand for their entire life. Since this class focuses on communication, I thought it would be something to think about.
While we are on the subject: I found much more information about branding on the blog:http://www.designobserver.com/
I spent my early youth in the South during the late eighties and early ninties, just before the advent of big box stores and the speeding hum of advertising that miraculously and pervasively whizzes through our screens and airwaves and into our lives without us even noticing. I've been trying to think of my first brand experience; it could be the off-brand of grape soda that my grandmother bought for summers at the lake house "Nu-Grape", or the "Sun-Made" raisins or "Goya" black beans that my mom used to buy when I was still a whiney child, frustrated about the chore of getting groceries, or maybe it was the brand of the snack cake company that my dad has worked for for more than 30 years in a graphic design capacity: "Little Debbie". I also think of "Double Cola" and "Tab".
ReplyDeleteImmediately I see two issues to take up; self identification, and loyalty as a consumer. There are, of course, ups and downs to the branding question. There are days when I can name the brand of everything I'm wearing, down to my underwear, and (I say this with tremendous guilt) sometimes I think, "not bad...Inhabit sweater, Graham and Spencer top, jcrew leggings, elle macphereson underoos..." of course I then, in my head, call myself a shallow bitch, but this inner dialogue begs the question how do I identify myself and an "individual" in society and what do I want to present to the world- a world which has increasingly less patients for getting to know someone. I often feel as though I have to present a specific image and have a soundbite ready at any moment, and suddenly I realize that I'm making a brand of myself with the brands of things that I buy and before you know it- and this is the doomsday view- my only value as a human being is defined by my ability to consume. Ok, well- maybe it's not all that bad...I do love my amazing sweater made of winter linen-presumably hand crafted and one of a kind (well...okay, maybe one of a thousand, might as well be the same thing!)
About loyalty.... A good product is behind any good brand-by my standards. As long as I don't find out about any major grievances: human rights abuses, trans-fats, conspicuous environmental exploitation, high-fructos corn syrup and the like, I am as loyal as a dog. But, I like to think of myself as an educated consumer, and habit prone and slightly old-fashioned in some way on top of that. Do I call that my consumer profile? Anyway, I think of the brands that I like, and that I've liked for a long time, as classics. Sun Made raisins, Goya beans- simple, classic, enduring; no gimmicks and you can count the ingredients on one hand. Maybe the question for designers is do our values and our work need to be more closely in tune? How can we capture some of that enduring quality in our work-or should we? And, to what feeling do we want consumers of our designs to get when they see/buy/wear/use/live in our work?
Sorry for the novel everyone! x's and o's if you made it this far!