We are at the point in history where we cannot comfortably define ourselves without the presence of products. In the individualized society of today we use products and experiences to design our own identity. We believe, consciously or unconsciously, that a certain combination of car, watch, sunglasses, shoes, jewelry, mobile phone, or even a laptop, defines us as what and who we are. We use products to help us express us more who we feel we are, who we would like to be, and who we would like other people to think that we are. Whole new species of products have appeared as a result to this re-energized material sense of wellbeing. We also prefer to design things from scratch, which is why the industry today is redefining its production methods from mass-production to so-called mass-customization that can accommodate the consumers desire to design their own products. The challenge is to balance competing demands in a way that they have never been balanced before. The commercial must to be weighed against the ecological. The needs of the client must be weighed against the possibility of communication to a mass audience. The potential is there, but the only question is whether designers are ready to promote greater consumer influence and individualization as a new design experience.*1
EMOTIONS
The value of the product can be increased by the story it tells. And fiction sells. Rather then products themselves, people consume the magic and the stories that are part of it. That is why storytelling and branding has become important components of the experience society.
*1Inspired by the articles: Holt, Steven Skov; Design Culture Now, Beauty And The Blob; Laurence King Publishing, 2000 Stockmarr, Pernile Søholm; Experience Hype, Design In The Experience Society; Published online by the Danish Design Center –19.Aug.2004; Link: http://ddc.dk/designviden/artikler/enpaaopleveren
Certain car manufacturers, furniture companies, and clothing companies offer more then just products. They offer an experience. A lifestyle. Only as a second phase they launch and market products that go with that lifestyle. They are seducing people with the shopping experience itself.
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