Assignment 2- Abstract

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 21^st 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.

Bibliographic references: www.dunneandraby.co.uk; www.designinnovation.ie; www.digitaltrends.com;