- Ask one (1) question about the reading. It can be about something you may not have understood completely or about something you thought was interesting. Be thoughtful with your question, and try to make it a question that could start a conversation, not simply be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ You are not allowed to post a question that someone has posted previously, so make sure to read through your classmates’ posts.
- Answer/respond to three (3) questions that others have posted by commenting on their posts. When you answer, read what others have said — do you agree with them? Do you feel there is more to the discussion? Do you think that someone is missing an important point? Be thoughtful and think about the question, responses and what your thoughts are.
- Finally, upload one multiple choice question for EACH CHAPTER to the Drop Box in Angel. KEEP IN MIND that the book is still a few weeks away from being finished, meaning that by the time we take the quiz, these earlier chapters will be very old. I strongly suggest making the questions about overarching topics and concepts rather than about minute details.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Emotional Branding : Reading 04
For this assignment, you will need to read pages 108 - 160 in Emotional Branding (Section III, Chapters 10 - 11), then do the following:
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I never imagined that a logo could have "heart". I simply believed if you've had a good experience with a company, you would continue using their products. Logos seem to me, to be only a way to identify the company's products. I think it's the company (it's reputation, it's charitable donations, & work within the community) that give the brand "heart", not the logo. Do you agree/disagree? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I don't think the logo has much to do with a company's "heart." It represents, them, yes, but that isn't why I continue using the brands that I use. I most closely associate their heart with the quality of their products and, like you said, community relations through charity work.
DeleteI definitely agree with those statements. I don't identify with a fast food chain because their logo appeals to my heart, I go there because their food appeals to my stomach. The heart of a company is represented by what they do and what they stand for. It depends on whether or not the company helps the environment and actually takes steps to improve it, instead of the logo simply being green and naturey (definitely not a word, I know). The heart is the inner meaning of the company and the logo is simply the body that houses it.
DeleteI agree, it is not the logo itself that has heart, but rather the brand and how it portrays itself. Some companies talk about how they've been in the same family for generations. It's not the logo that shows the heart, but rather the idea of family and tradition that the brand portrays.
DeleteI agree, but I also disagree. I agree with everyone that the actions of a company in itself makes the heart of the company. However, I do believe Logos can initially portray a great deal about the company through colors and other symbols. The viewer is often unaware of the effect of such colors and symbols and how they will relate to their emotions. So, the logo is able to draw someone in by portraying the heart of the company, but then the actions of the company are what continues the relationship with the consumer.
DeleteThis class has taught me that product design and advertising is extremely emotionally based. All in all, manufacturers want you to feel SOMETHING (positive) toward their products. This 100% psychological approach kind of makes me feel like brands don't genuinely care to learn about their publics (i,e, me, you). After all, it's all about attracting people and making a sale. Do you agree or disagree, and why or why not?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI agree with your statement that its all about attracting people and making the sale. Stores realize that they can use this type of branding and still make money, so why would they need to genuinely care? Stores and businesses have become so incorporated that the everyday man matters less and the statistics matter more. Smaller, personal shops are less prevalent than in the past and companies no longer have a chance to get to know their consumers, but instead have to mass produce their products. The individual has been removed in order to make room for the many.
DeleteCompanies certainly do all they can to make a sale and keep their business up in the air. Even though they always appear to have consumers best interests at heart, their main goal is to get into their wallets. All of their emotional appeal is just a cover story so that they can give the appearance as if they actually care. Definitely not all corporations should be viewed in this light (Microsoft, Amazon) because some actually take measures to support the common consumer, but majority seem to. Despite all of this, I don't think companies should be blamed because so many people today strive to make a living in much worse ways and it's the consumers folly if they don't do their research and see what a company is all about.
DeleteI agree, it's almost patronizing when you think about it, that they manipulate consumers that way acting like they genuinely care when obviously they don't. However, I agree with Robert that we can't really blame them. ultimately if they want to survive they have to get customers and if they want customers they have to get them with whatever means possible.
DeleteI tend to disagree. Just because the "emotional" method of reaching people is effective doesn't make it completely meaningless. You see commercials asking for money to help aid world hunger and they are the most emotional commercials you will see. They aim for your heart because it works, but yet the cause is still good and there is no monetary profit in the end.
DeleteI feel that it depends on the company. Some companies do really only care about the sale, but some companies care more about the customer. For instance, companies that make sure their products are not tested on animals or what not. Those companies are making a profit, but they are doing it with a mission and set of morals that connect to its clientele. Another example would be companies like Tide that go on charity missions to disaster areas for people so that those affected may do laundry. I also feel that those companies that seem not to genuinely care about the public are trying to make those connections through options to personalize their products. I believe that companies are evolving and slowly trying to focus more on the individual.
DeleteOn pg. 121, the author talks about how he had a friend that felt like art has transcended its perception from just paintings and sculptures and that art needs to be found in all things we buy in our private lives today. With this in mind, do you believe that design has become an art form all on its own? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteDesign has certainly become an art form all on it's own. It involves not only the emotional appeal to people today, but envelops the new idea of commerce into the art sphere. Designers can do this in various aspects and can take on their own style and temperaments. However, there is a slight difference because I wouldn't find it fair to put up the Apple design next to the portrait of Mona Lisa or the sculpture of The Thinker. It must be viewed as a simplified version of art with a complex mental significance.
DeleteI feel design is a combination of many disciplines which also includes art. It is an art in the most obvious sense that it is a visual portrayal of an idea, product, or company, but I also feel design requires some scientific understanding. The design not only has to be visually appealing, but it needs to make you feel a certain way through things such as heart rate and other forms of physiological stimulation. Overall, the thought process which goes into the creation of a design as compared to earlier designs has increased exponentially.
DeleteDesign has definitely become a form of art. If you took all of the parts from the new 2013 Corvette and put them in a box with wheels, no one would buy the box because the corvette is more than just what's under the hood. People now a days are buying for more than just function. They are buying for function with style. This is why design is an art form.
DeleteI agree that it is a form of art. It takes an 'artist's eye' and skill to capture consumer's attention and continued excellence to keep that attention. Another reason branding has become an art is because a logo or brand is unique to a company, and consumers identify with certain brands, yet not others. Consumer's have their own sense of style that they believe can be portrayed with specific brands.
DeleteDesign has kind of become its own thing, but other things cannot exist without it. Design is a fundamental element in all works of art, including drawings, paintings, sculptures, and even logos, business cards and store designs (architectural). These created pieces all used design elements to come together, yet they still fall under the categories of drawings, paintings, sculptures, etc. With this said, I don't believe design is its own form of art.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with you Ashley. Man has been looking at design since the Creation and how it plays a role on an items purpose. Design has developed in the marketing world, but yet it has always been around as a part of the art world. I don't think it could claim its own category either.
DeleteThis post was supposed to be a comment on Jami's original "design" post. Whoops!
DeleteI found the SENSE process to be a very interesting and amusing idea within these chapters. Just as a refresher, SENSE is a process in which a brand becomes personified and contains a story and backdrop to explain what it stands for and the type of consumer it's aimed at. The idea sprouted from Princess Stephanie of Monaco to be the ideal customer for Express, and branched off to many other companies. If you had to personalize your own, favorite brand, who would it be modeled after and why? Either create your own fictitious character to be the model or choose an existing "celebrity."
ReplyDeleteIf I were to model my favorite fashion brand after a character it would be Aria from Pretty Little Liars. In each episode, she is always the one taking the most daring fashion risks and has created a style that I haven't really seen on other TV characters. She is very unique and I know that a lot of my friends really admire her style, but have not really found a brand that can help them emulate her fashion choices. She is very confident in herself and is usually one of the bravest girls in the group both in fashion and in the trouble they face. I think designing a brand around her confidence would be very successful and give a new option to the normally mundane and very similar fashions in clothing stores today.
DeleteI personally think that Betty White should do a commercial for Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign. She is the healthiest 91 year old I have ever experienced, and I think that she would be a fun, great motivator/role model for everybody to try and live healthier, more active lifestyles so that we can live to be as old and vivacious as Betty White when we are older.
DeleteI would want to see Channing Tatum sell his own line of cologne. I would buy it for my (non-existent) boyfriend's birthday. Every year. lol. He is the perfect depiction of an American man, and he can dance! I would be sold in a nanosecond.
DeleteThese chapters focused a lot on the idea of design and the art behind it. Do you have any specific brands who's design speaks to you in a particularly artistic way?
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is just because I have been eating a lot of chocolate lately, but my dove chocolates are speaking to me. They are literally speaking to me with the motivational phrases on the inside of each wrapper. The design has its initial appeal with the elegance of the design of the candies. Then, you are surprised to find the candy is telling you to "lose yourself in the moment." (Why yes I did just eat a chocolate to get that phrase)I think Dove has the emotional connection part down. They understand that chocolate is often eaten to bring joy and further encourage it through these phrases.
DeleteI agree with Arielle, I love getting a product and then getting a little something extra like a motivational quote. The Playtex Sport Tampons are the same way! I always read the quotes and it somehow makes me ready for my day!
DeleteI really like the Maybelline falsies mascara I use. The brand uses cooler colors that pop and use two varying colors in their designs to contrast one another. This color scheme not only shows up in their packaging but also carries over into their advertisements to make them stand out. They grab the consumer's attention, differing quite a bit from most other mascaras that are just plain black. They are also rounder than some of the square mascara containers, which makes it easier to hold. I really like their use of colors and functional bottle which utilizes both form and function.
DeleteLamborghini Aventador, 2013 Corvette, Audi R8, and Bugatti Veyron speak to me aesthetically. I mean the power behind those cars is a plus too, but like I said earlier, I wouldn't drive a box that had the same parts. It's the look of the cars that really catches my eye and makes me want one so bad.
DeleteHalls cough drops give a pep talk in each drop, which makes me want to buy them more frequently than other drops (although I know this is simply a ploy to entertain someone and make them purchase Halls). It works!
DeleteI drive a Volkswagen Beetle which was talked about quite a bit in this section. It is commonly known for its modern interpretation on the classic Beetle. So, I found it interesting that today we crave the design of the past. Our generation has always been associated with being on the cutting edge. So, why do you think we crave this retro design?
ReplyDeleteI think it has to do with the concept of control which the book talks about on page 112-113. In the high speed world of technology that we live in today, retro brands and products such as the classic Beetle satisfy our "nostalgia for times when things happened more slowly" and give us control in an out of control world. As our lives hurl us into situations with unfamiliar faces, places, and experiences, it gives us comfort to have things in our lives that are familiar to us and have a down to earth, simple quality to them. It also probably has to do with the repeated exposure advertising effect. We've been exposed to these products so much that we've come to know them as comforting and familiar which makes us want to implement them into our lives. If we've had positive past experiences with the products, our loyalty keeps us with them as well.
DeleteI was thinking about how in Chapter 10, the writer talks about a missed opportunity for huge success when Procter & Gamble turned down the design of a fragrance bottle with an off-centered opening. When the design was later a huge success with Tommy Hilfiger's Tommy Sport, the writer seems to make the claim that it is because of the design of the bottle. Do you think that is the sole purpose that the product sold and became so popular, or maybe it was just a better fragrance and the scent attracted more people.
ReplyDeleteI personally think that the fact that the cap and nozzle of the perfume was slightly off center had nothing to do with the success of the product. Personally, if I am going to a store and looking at cologne, I don't care what the bottle looks like at all - I simply judge whether or not I would like to buy the product or not based on scent alone. I think the off center sprayer is uglier than if it were in the center of the bottle too, but that is just me. The rest of the world could think differently. Depending on the product, however, I am not sure the presentation ALWAYS matters.
DeleteOne pages 122-123 the text lists some pretty amazing technological inventions that are predicted to come about in the future such as clothes that protect people from bacterial/UV light, flexible, retractable computer screens on cell phones, technology imbedded into our furniture and walls, etc. Do you think these things will come true? What other ideas do you have for technological advances of the future?
ReplyDeleteI believe any technology that will make life easier, or simpler for people will become a reality. There is hardly anything that cannot be accomplished with science these days. The ideas I have for the future may be a bit idealistic, but I want to see everyone driving eco-friendly cars, putting solar panels in their roofs, install motion sensors instead of light switches, and find something other than fresh water in which to dispose of our waste. These are partially technological advances, and partially a change in the way of thinking.
DeleteIn chapter 10, the author states that good design is courageous. He uses Urban Outfitters as an example of a company that employs such courage. Recently there has been a lot of controversy over this particular company and its products. T-shirts with the F-bomb written on them, color options like Obama black, and insensitivity to Jews and Israelites are only a few of the issues that have brought some people to hate this company. Has Urban Outfitters overstepped the author's "courageous design", or is i tall just part of the sales strategy?
ReplyDelete