CCDN 271 DESIGN AS AN INQUIRY
Research Theme: Critical Design
Title: Why is Critical Design used when branding
everyday objects, and why is this type of design crucial for these particular
objects?
Critical Design challenges narrow assumptions;
preconceptions and givens about the roles products play in everyday life. With this
paper I will endeavour to define Critical Design and identify what, if any role
it plays within the use of branding everyday objects for mass-consumption. I
will discuss the role media plays in the development of a brand specifically
designed for universal application and (everyone likes it). I will specifically
question whether within branding there is any place for critical thought or
analysis as these may both challenge the integrity or need for the brand
itself. Critical design implies a truth whereas media and advertising have
gained overtime, a reputation for exaggeration and ‘white lies’ where
marketability and profit are the key factors in decision making. I will target
corporations, such as, but not limited to, McDonalds to illuminate the
strategies used to entice and sell without critical analysis of challenging
issues such as health, recycling and global marketing. I will then research the
case study done on McDonalds in Sweden where public demand for a critical
overview of the company was undertaken. I will discuss these findings and
identify within them what role media played in the successful outcomes for both
the consumer and the corporation.
To define Critical design we can say it is more of an
attitude than anything else, and a position, rather than a method. Critical design undergoes in an effort
to remain relevant to the complex technological, political, economic and social
changes we experience in the 21st century. Critical design is about reflecting on
the design of an everyday object an it’s impact, and asking to ourselves ‘is it
necessary?’ That being said, if you are designing for now or today, or are in
the process of branding an everyday object, it is crucial for you to build up
your ideas and then test them. When branding everyday objects for mass
consumption, Critical Design is crucial when leaning towards enforcing the
public to purchase or consume their products, as it brings out the impact and
the necessities of that particular brand. However, a brand is a persons ‘gut
feeling’ about a product, service or organisation. In other words, it’s not
what you say it is, it’s what they say it is. When involving the media in
branding, it impacts marketing, customer service and public relations among
others. The media believes that great brands start with great products, and
that differentiation needs to continue in order to deliver great customer
service and attention to the customers’ wants and needs. When comparing
Critical Design with the media, we can see that the truthful aspects of
Critical Design are often reinforced and exaggerated by the media, and Critical
Design and the media both have their own opinions of what branding should
consist of.
When looking at different corporations and businesses around
the world, there are a number of strategies involved to prevent the need for
the use of the critical analysis of challenging issues geared towards that
particular corporation/business. Taking ‘McDonalds Sweden’ as an example, Jill
Rosenblum explains the search for innovative ways to provide low cost food for
the majority of the people, and the desire for the function to remain sustainable
in terms of financial, political and social aspects. As McDonalds was once a
hated brand in Sweden, drastic measures were taken to improve their image on
the Swedish public. This was referred to as ‘The Natural Step,’ which consisted
of no genetically modified food on the menu, and altering their transportation
network by switching from trains to biofuel cars. The outcomes of The Natural
Step saw McDonalds move up to being the third most popular brand in Sweden
today. Relating to the media, McDonalds Sweden used various advertisements that
proved the company’s environmental efforts to the public, and as a result, the
efforts did not go unnoticed. In a similar way, everyday objects are branded in
a way that relates to the McDonalds Sweden Case Study, with the critical design
of these objects, allowing them to be eco-friendly and necessary to their
target users.
To sum up the importance of the use of Critical Design
in branding everyday objects, critical thinking plays a big role in
design. It sets solid expectations
and aims to help achieve what branding can and should consist of, so the public
can get a glimpse of what is expected before the purchase or consume the
object/product. Corporations such
as but not limited to McDonalds use critical thinking and strategies to
overcome the financial, political and social issues that stand in the way. The
efforts do not go unacknowledged, as Critical Design is a way of expressing the
aims and the purposes of everyday objects/products.
