Design History: Democracy And Design In Branding (Coursework Sample)

Name
Instructor
Course
Date
Design History
Democracy and Design
Introduction
Democracy and design have co-existed for centuries, and the democracy in design has been exposed to some changes which have led its vulnerability. Democracy in this sense can be defined as the predominance of the market as an exclusive and not reliance on a centralized power. It is also centralized on the less domination be external forces. Design democracy has commanded a lot of respect from different angles, and one of the most influential concepts in design democracy is the incorporation of design humanities (Bonsiepe, G. 213). Design humanism encompasses the design activities used by the designer to inculcate the needs of the society. The main aim of design democracy of to foster critical consciousness when faced with the challenge of enormous imbalance between the central of powers and the people submitted to these powers (Edward, W. 28). This begs the question, how to we create a design that clearly articulates our freedom to express our ideas and opinions?
What is the difference between local products and a global one? What role does branding play in this difference?
Design has played a very significant role in the market, as much as the market has played a crucial role in enhancing and promoting design ideas. Kenneth Galbraith provides that, ‘'Design in the context of techniques of corporation for gaining and consolidating power". The innovation and modification of products is done if there is a standard economic function, but the incorporation of different design concepts to make the design of the product more sustainable in the economy is what makes the difference in the economy. Branding is one of the concepts of marketing that entails the creation of an attractive and unique name and image, to establish the presence of the product in the consumer's mind. The main aim of branding is to attract new clients and retain the loyal customers. For example, the image presented above clearly explains the difference between a local and a global brand. Coca-Cola has enhanced its brand to be more attractive so as to attract International customers, while the Briton bag logo has some minor aspects such as choice of color that makes it suitable for local markets.
The main difference between local product and a global one is the issue of globalization. A global product is designed and developed to provide a more sustainable solution while a local brand is intended to satisfy the needs and wants of the people within a particular country or geographical location. This again begs the question on, why should we call a product global and another one local? All these revolves around the concept of a code of generation of information and the design of objects. Local products delineate the social integration but the global products have combined and interconnected the interaction between people, space and time.
Brands play a significant role in the distinction of a global product from the local one. Branding provides excellent ideas that facilitate the optimization of local, regional and International markets to make the product global (Bonsiepe, G. 214). On the other hand, branding also helps in the establishment and linking local cultures and traditions to customer’s products perception. Branding enables local brands to attain high flexibility in terms of marketing activities in comparison to the global brands which have to consider customer perception regionally and internationally.
What types of brands have truly global presence? What kind of consumer do “universal’’ brands require? What sort of worker do they depend upon? How and where do you see the evidence of global branding? What kinds of celebrities are needed for this type of branding?
As established by Bonsiepe, branding is created from the search of the balance between the operational aspects of mechanical objects and their semantics aspects which are constituted by the designer’s work (Bonsiepe, G. 215). Some types of brands that truly have a global presence include coca cola, Google, Apple, Toyota, Honda and Samsung are some brands that have a global presence. These products have distinct characteristic in that, they have incorporated a universal culture that suits the global cultural ideas, they cater for the social well-being of the global society and the quality of their objects attracts global citizens. Global brands such as Apple, Samsung and Toyota require consumers who can adapt the luxury, comfort and different make of these products. These brands also need users who have long established their identities with high quality and status of the global brands. These brands also need a worker who has design freedom. Workers are able to think about the international integration of the product into different cultures and traditions. As provided by Bonsiepe, those working on the products should develop a symbolic aspect that makes the product overvalued (Bonsiepe, G. 215). Evidence of global branding is conspicuous in the United States of America. This is the place where branding has took another level. For example, Coca-Cola and McDonald's are some of the International brands developed from the United States of America. The spread of these products has been seen through the number of outlets and factories opened in different continents. The use of celebrities has been the new phase of branding use by global brands. Global brands use famous people such as musicians, athletes, movie actors or a cartoon character. For example, Britney Spears was used as a celebrity face for famous Pepsi ad campaign in the 90s. Global brands select celebrities who have long familiarization with the product, with high-esteem for the product and they can stand out from the crowd.
What role does branding play in the creation of a global class of citizens?
Branding facilitates the commercialization of a product to an international level. This enables the adoption of social and economic changes to penetrate the world market. Branding has allowed different companies to develop products that detach people from the traditional form of citizenship to the adoption of public and independent citizenship. This revolves around the establishment of a standard social network that gives people the corporate power to address their lifestyles and dismantle from the ce...