Li's Research Diary: 2010

colors in cultures

Information design: colors and their meaning in different cultures.

The parameters to brand success

1. Efficiency 

Investments in optimized brand management structures and processes provide the efficiency that is needed.

2. Convergence

Brand worlds often collide when innovation cycles merge with new technologies. This demands a great deal of flexibility and foresight on the part of brand managers.

3. Multi-channel  

Brand builders need to provide sustainable, adaptable answers regarding the type of exposure they want their brands to have in selected media/channels.

4. Self-segmentation

Brand builders should adapt expectations to the respective situation, while always remaining true to their brand values.

5. Diversification 

expansion into new markets, and make the portfolio more resistant to crises.

6. Individualization

The trend toward the individualization of product offerings continues unabated. It is necessary to integrate stakeholders into the “service performance” process.

7. Globalization

Global brand management in different region, counties.

8. Social and economic change  

The world is changing, climate change, new media, different ways of obtaining and processing information, food scandals, and the global financial crisis, are effecting fundamental, long-term changes in the way society thinks and acts. The keyword here is “sustainability.” Brand-builders of the future will be called upon to react to these changes, and in some cases take the lead in shaping the world of tomorrow.

Bercht, Walter. Interbrand. 24 April 2010 http://www.interbrand.com/paper.aspx?paperid=74&langid=1000

A book: Created in China-The Great New Leap Forward

This book traced back to the history of culture and commerce in China, examines China's creative economy and how television, animation, advertising, design, publishing and digital games are reshaping traditional understanding of culture. It provides a fresh look at China's global value chain. It argues that while government and citizens would prefer to associate with the nationalistic but unrealized "created in China" brand. It considers how new ways of managing cultural assets can renovate largely non-competitive Chinese cultural industries.

Keane, Michael. Created in China: The great new leap forward. New York: Routledge. 2007.

Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system. Since neuroscience opens the brain to marketers, this signal of emotional attachment is the foundation for brand success. It unconsciously transports one from the mundane to the imaginational, transforming our inner world and inspiring us to buy.

A brand experience has the potential to actually transform our brain chemistry. The experience of a product/service and its messaging, can be transformational in a sensory way and emotionally. More importantly, at the end of a satisfying product experience, our feelings have been transformed into a strong emotional attachment that endures until proven otherwise.

Fostering magical brand connections is particularly important to create consumers loyalty. These three keys will unlock the doors to begin the journey.

1. Understand the "right brain" of your category.
What visual, sensorial and emotional benefits can your brand deliver and own - that work together with your product's attributes - to create an unbreakable bond that turns your consumers into brand enthusiasts? This can start with highly projective techniques like portrait building, present and future brand scenarios, and story creation with all of the internal teams that have a stake in the brand: marketing, design, R&D, senior management and your various agencies.

2. Understand the sensorial and emotional palette of your audience.

A lot of research is still left brain, Q&A focused. To unveil the magic in your brand, using highly right brained projective techniques – like image sorts, drawing and writing - can get at the more elusive sensorial and emotional attributes that are important to your consumer and relevant, meaningful and inspiring in your category. A great example is the method brand, which disrupted the established home cleaning market with a "detox your home" message and a visual position that brought that message to life using simple, clean, highly sensorial shapes and colors that intrigue, inspire and motivate one to buy.

3. Create a Visual Position.

Brand positions are often created in words, though people experience brands primarily visually. BUT...a brand's packaging, advertising and overall presence in the world starts with visual symbolism, not words. 70% of our sense receptors are in our eyes and 80% of what we learn about the world comes to us visually...yet most brands do not have a visual position that brings the written positioning and story to life.

Visual positioning defines the symbolic territory a brand can occupy to create distinction and often includes: overall personality, color and texture palettes, movement (upward like Gillette Mach3 or explosive and outward like Gillette Fusion), energy and other qualities that will unleash your brand's magic. overall personality, color and texture palettes, movement (upward like Gillette Mach3 or explosive and outward like Gillette Fusion), energy.

Packaging Design Differences between China and the West

In Chinese market, packaging design not only serves a function but also plays a role of appealing to consumers. In this article looks at the differences packaging design China and western market.

The components of packaging design is: color, label and typeface; image, patterns and shapes; and material.

Color: Japan, Green is not popular in Japan, France, or Belgium, while it is favored in Turkey and Austria. Yellow is death symbol in Islamic cultures but green is believed to help fight off diseases and evil. Black is mourning in European, they prefer red, grey, green and blue. Orange is a national color. Chinese customer prefer bright and shiny color for food products but tend to prefer white and pastel colors for personal care and household items. For example, Kleenex features brightly color and abstract flowers on the paper package in US but it designs Chinese uses pastel color and delicate and realistic flowers.

Label and Typeface: Label and typeface are critical to attract consumers. This is especially true in China where foreign brands adopt Chinese brand names, and consequently Chinese typeface, to better communicate to the market. Coca Cola in Chinese typeface became part of the brand identity in China and shapes the packaging in an unmistakable way.

Images, Patterns and Shapes: Products brands that are successful on the Chinese market clearly take into consideration how images and patterns printed on the packaging influence consumers decisions towards own products. Mirinda in order to reach younger segment of Chinese market, not only uses brighter colors but also features cartoon characters on the packaging.

Pepsi taps into local culture, people, icon and activities and response to them to the package.

Nivea offers a line of lip balm packaged in smaller solutions than the ones sold in the west. It is because Chinese customers prefer packages of smaller size. This is particular true for food products, they have smaller storage space than in the west.

Material: Package material reflects how much the company understands its market. Chinese customer dislikes products using too much waste material for packaging due to environmental concerns. Colgate, for instance, chose to differentiate its product in China by using different material when the company entered the chinese market in 1992. When the majority of domestic toothpaste manufactures used aluminum tubes, Colgate introduce plastic tubes which was more durable and safe. The new packaging has dominant 1/3 of the market over years.

Vladimir Djurovic. Food and beverage magazine online. 13 April 2010 http://fb101.com/?p=312

Shanzai-Copycat design in China

From the last post i mentioned quality design for the poor and yet Shanzai is such design. The character Shan (mountain)+ Zhai (fortness) implies banditry and lack of state control. There's lots of accuse about Shanzai because it is a copycat design. Shanzai is an open platform for original innovation in variety of products. It alternate the design and adapt the ways that appeal to Chinese customers in terms of price, aesthetics, values and needs. It represents a vast business opportunity in the nation of 1.3 billion people. Shan designs are an opportunity for international companies to introduce Chinese consumers to their brands.

One of the key design principles of Shanzhai is to make the assets of the product stand out. Shanzhai is not about being subtle. Of the population, 80-90% are unsophisticated consumers, they don't understand subtle design or complicated technology. They want to see the value immediately. It is also an idea brands who help the poor by stealing from the rich. "In this Chinese version of Robin Hood, 'right' and 'wrong' are presented in an ambiguous light. In this respect, shanzhai questions legitimacy and authenticity of design and blurs the line between cultural appropriation and outright theft." (Taniguchi, Wu)

Pattern suggested some actions:

1. Leverage the wisdom of common folks. Organize a Chinese version of Dragons Den, or innovation competition, to help grassroots innovation blossom.

2. Use tools for expression. Provide customizing tools that enable people to mark a bit of themselves on their products. Consider the gamut, from stickers of Swarovski crystal on mobile phones to prestige logos.

3. Be bold and explicit about the value proposition of a product. It has to make a clear statement of what consumers have paid money for.

4. Exploit grassroots sentiments. Harness grassroots humor to get closer to Chinese consumers in diverse regions. Such playful sentiments help build relationships with mass consumers.

quality design for the poor

When companies design products and services for the poor, they often think about making them as low-coast as possible. It is important to realize that people who live in poverty value quality design. Quality design doesn't mean that good and services need to cost more. Quality design meet people where they are and acknowledging status, aspiration and dignity. Design for the poor is more important now than ever before. It is the future of business growth. Howe can companies serve the legitimate needs of the poor not just for price but also for status, aspiration, and dignity?

Status: Evidence of wealth often reveals in the purchases people make. On the streets of Moscow in 2003, thousands of young people wear wearing cell phones around their necks as a statement achievement, however, 1/3 of these phones had no service. In Ghana, villagers are proud of displaying items to decorate home. How might we design experiences that are meaningful both to the individual and to the society around them?

Aspiration: In India, the hierarchy of the road mirrors the hierarchy of society. From bicycle to scooter to motorcycle to car, wealth is expressed not only in more comfortable experience, but by rules of the road that require smaller vehicles to yield to larger ones. TATA Nano fills a market need. It serves as a status symbol. It is aspirational but it has sacrificed quality for accessibility. How might we create accessible moments that retain their aspirational quality?

Dignity: Disney is a master at conferring on people the feeling of dignity and privilege. Its customers range across demographic. It respects audiences and designs an experience down to the smallest details. Unlike mainstream restaurants where servers recommend the most expensive wine on the menu, Disney servers suggest lower-end bottles so that guests feel like kings and queens. How might we elevate the dignity of the experience, across all moments?

Vanity for the poor: VisionSpring sells low-coast reading glasses to the poor in India at price ranging $2 to $4.

It pattern is very true, I agree with how many products, which represent aspiration. The challenge for design is finding a spot between aspirational and low-cost when you hit the boundary where they have to be traded. Good examples they have above. It remind me another pattern “Shanzhai” which is the exact “quality design for the poor” in China.

Madsen, Shally. Cotter, Colleen. Patterns. 10 April 2010 http://patterns.ideo.com/issue/quality_design_for_the_poor/

paper discovered

I've been looking for good quality printing paper lately. Two kinds of paper that i think it's good for printing. Xerox 20 lb. laser paper is used in ocad print shop. Hammermill color copy has very smooth finish and off white color. The global and Mail magazine uses for their printing proof. Unfortunately i haven't found them in the store. They are available online. HP laserjet Ultra White, 24lb. is not a bad choice for testing, however, i found the color is too pale.

Printer is also crucial to print quality, ocad uses Xerox. I found Canon Laser Beam Printer is better, it defines more detail, color and texture is more even.

Brock University's logo redesign

Named after Major General Sir Isaac Brock, who died defending Niagara from the American invasion at Queenston Heights in 1812, Brock University chose Sir Isaac Brock to serve the university's logo when it established in 1964. Their old serif typeface with Sir Isaac Brock's silhouette represent this university for half a century. Suddenly they decided to redesign the logo into plain san serif with a cliche fingerprint. The new logo is poorly executed and its fingerprint is too literal and too small to recognize. The logo doesn't represent of a higher learning institution, in stead it looks like Brock Security or Brock Investigations... It doesnt relate to Brock's brand personality-Fresh, smart, creative, passionate. It looks dull and intelligent. The redesign is a disaster.

Armin. An Academic Fingerprint. Brand New. 8 April 2010. http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/an_academic_fingerprint.php

Patterns: Design Insights Emerging and Converging

I came across an insightful project from IDEO called Pattern. It is a common insights that captured challenges across projects as well as about the world. It is a way elevate insights to the level of cultural impact. It contains some of the toughest design challenges we all have the potential to solve in the most innovative companies. Patterns publishes different issues every month. Their opinions and ideas are solid and sharp, they inspire for critical thinking and further research. Their expression are very concise, I found it challenging to understand without enough background knowledge.

Patterns: Design Insights Emerging and Converging. IDEO 1991. 4 April 2010. http://patterns.ideo.com/

from "made in china" to "learnt in china"

Richard Kelly represented IDEO in " When China shows to the world its design-driven innovation instead of technology-based R&D driven innovation" suggested a new design thinking to suit Chinese customer- the human centered innovation approach. To find out what these new ways are, designers need to get close to the consumer and observe how they truly behave and what they ideally want. They observed that many female customers, in a subconscious act of saving money, so they encouraging money-saving behavior.

Just as the 2008 Games marked the possibility of transforming ‘Made in China’ into ‘Created in China’, so in the future when we will witness a World Expo encapsulates the progress of ‘Created in China’ to its next evolution: ‘Learnt in China’.

Chinese consumers have a big appetite for new experiences and ability for accelerated learning. So, consumers constantly re-learn and unlearn what's good and what's not, what works and what doesn't. They change their minds, and often very quickly about purchase decisions they make. They also adopt new behaviours much faster than those in the developed markets in general.

Consumers should be a source of inspiration for innovation and design, and not just technology excellence. Chinese consumers are as discerning about quality and as equally demanding about value. They also observed an increasing desire and demand for products, services and experiences that express their socio-cultural value rather than simply pursuing foreign brand names.

Chinese culture celebrates thriftiness. As as part of “created in china”, we’ll need to evolve from “how to make it cheaper” to a philosophy of “how to make it better”.

the key successful branding in china

Managing Researcher Shaun Rein in Business Week suggested the key to successful branding in China. His research is quite honest. There is some truth that Chinese consumers switch brands frequently, because they have massively more choices than they had even a decade ago. Curious consumers need to experience to establish their loyalty. There are some successful brands that Chinese consumers are loyal to because those brands target their needs and understand the market. Brands such as Tencent QQ instant message service, Belle shoes, Taobao e-commerce service are incredibly successful. The White Rabbit candy had built trust with Chinese consumers much as Tide had in the U.S.

He suggest that to foster brand loyalty in China, companies need to learn from these successful examples and focus on three critical points: Define their brand position, understand and relate to their consumer base, and target China's younger generation, which has the product sophistication to be tomorrow's loyalty leads.

China is the world's second-largest auto market. Buick took advantage of this growth and leveraged the position it created and selling low-end models into $12,000 price range. The middle-class are upset because Buick quality has been watered-down as they see Buick as a luxury brand. Buick made the mistake for not clearly defining its brand for consumers. Is it low end or high end? As a counterpoint to Buick, BMW has sacrificed short-term sales and chose to maintin its premium positioning for affluent consumers. BMW is now seeing massive growth and gain its loyalty.

Clarins and L'Oreal are two popular brands around the world. Their images in China are very different. L'Oreal is very successful, and they have developed brand loyalty to both male and female consumers. L'Oreal's image in China is more luscious than it does in the western world. Clarins had made a mistaking by making an advertising campaign that typical Chinese male cannot relate. Clarins used metrosexual models that presented an image most Chinese men could not relate. L'Oreal has chosen Korean movie stars for its male brand. These Korean stars exhibit a look and style that Chinese women wish their boyfriends would exhibit. Clarins chose to lauch campaigns with blond girls on sailboats when these popular images do not attract Chinese consumers. Shaun's study argued that Chinese concerned about safety as consumers in the U.S. Brands like Midea, Haier, and Unilver has established as good quality.

To develop a brand successfully in China, it's not enough to take short-term path and sell to every possible market.

Rein, Shaun. The key successful branding in China. 1st April 2010 http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/sep2007/gb20070925_202489_page_2.htm

Thesis three options

1. Project base, a preparation of job base, create diverse projects.

2. Thesis base, one year study of a subject.

3. Master preparation thesis going in to deeper research.

reading 6 notes

The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals think in Action

Donald Schon

Schon questioned of the relationship between the kinds of knowledge honored in academia and the kinds of competence valued in professional practice. He was convinced that universities are not devoted to the production and distribution of fundamental knowledge in general but inattention to practical competence and professional artistry. This study is an analysis of the distinctive structure of reflection-inaction. Schon argues that it is susceptible to a kind of rigor that is both like and unlike the rigor of scholarly research and controlled experiment.

In the university, there is a dominant view of professional knowledge as the application of scientific theory and technique to the instrumental problems of practice. Technical Rationality is the heritage of Positivism, the powerful philosophical doctrine that grew up in the nineteenth century as an account of the rise of science and technology and as a social movement aimed at applying the achievements of science and technology to the well-being of mankind. It became institutionalized in the modern university when Positivism was at its height, and in the professional schools that secured their place in the university in the early decades of the twentieth century.

From the perspective of Technical Rationality, professional practice is a process of problem solving. But we ignore problem setting, the process by which we define the decision to be made, the ends to be achieved, the means, which may be chosen. Problem setting is a necessary condition for technical problem solving.

Knowing has the following properties:

There are actions, recognitions, and judgments which we know how to carry out.

Spontaneously; we do not have to think about them prior to or during their performance. We are often unaware of having learned to do these things. We are usually unable to describe the knowing which our action reveals.

It is in this sense that I speak of knowing-in-action, the characteristic mode of ordinary practical knowledge.

Reflecting-in-action. If common sense recognizes knowing-in-action, it also recognizes that we sometimes think about what we are doing. “feel for the ball” that lets you “repeat the exact same thing you did before that proved successful.

When someone reflects-in-action, he becomes a researcher in the practice context. He is not dependent on the categories of established theory and technique, but constructs a new theory of the unique case. His inquiry is not limited to a deliberation about means which depends on a prior agreement about ends. He does not keep means and ends separate, but defines them interactively as he frames a problematic situation. He does not separate thinking from doing, ratiocinating his way to a decision which he must later convert to action. Because his experimenting is a kind of action, implementation is built into his inquiry. Thus reflection-in-action can proceed, even in situations of uncertainty or uniqueness, because it is not bound by the dichotomies of Technical Rationality.

Semiotics: A Primer for Designers

Challis Hodge

“Semiotics is important for designers as it allows us to understand the relationships between signs, what they stand for, and the people who must interpret them — the people we design for.”

Semiotics can be described as the study of signs that includes anything capable of standing for or representing a separate meaning. Paddy Whannel offered a slightly different definition. “Semiotics tells us things we already know in a language we will never understand.” Semiotics is important for designers as it allows us to gain insight into the relationships between signs, what they stand for, and the people who must interpret them — the people we design for.

Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure is generally considered to be the founder of linguistics and semiotics. Structuralism is an analytical method used by many semioticians. Structuralists seek to describe the overall organization of sign systems as languages. They search for the deep and complex structures underlying the surface features of phenomena.

Semantics focuses on what words mean while semiotics is concerned with how signs mean. Semiotics embraces semantics, along with the other traditional branches of linguistics as follows:

Semantics: the relationship of signs to what they stand for.

Syntactics (or syntax): the formal or structural relations between signs.

Pragmatics: the relation of signs to interpreters.

Valentin Voloshinov proposed a reversal of the Saussurean priority, language over speech: “The sign is part of organized social intercourse and cannot exist, as such, outside it, reverting to a mere physical artifact.” The meaning of a sign is not in its relationship to other signs within the language system but rather in the social context of its use.

The study of semiotics needs to account for the relationship of the symbols and the social context or context of use.

Daniel Chandler sums up: “The study of signs is the study of the construction and maintenance of reality. To decline such a study is to leave to others the control of the world of meanings.” Semiotics teaches us as designers that our work has no meaning outside the complex set of factors that define it. These factors are not static, but rather constantly changing because we are changing and creating them. The deeper our understanding and awareness of these factors, the better our control over the success of the work products we create.

a book review

Today i read a book called "Flaunt: designing effective, compelling and memorable portfolios of creative work". It offered 40 graduate students' portfolios, by showing the detailed production process of their portfolios. The book also provides seventeen designers experiences reviewing portfolios and conducting interviews. It offers very practical and insightful advises that would allow us to create the most appropriate portfolio.

Here are some advices that interviewer are looking for:

- In the portfolio should provide skills and conceptual abilities.

- It must have excellent typography, color sensibility and composition. Nice concept, personality and style.

- Think about presentation, flow of work, consistency, the mediums that are used, and the details, quality, and printing.

- A portfolio should tell you someone’s interests and a sense of humor in the work is a plus.

- Thoughtful ideas and problem-solving abilities.

- Put strongest piece first.

- Well-designed resume.

- Don’t’ talk too much during the interview.

- Dong enough research about your reviewers. Ask enough questions after the person has looked at the work.

- Get personally professional. Ask about things you quickly observe in the environment. Show your portfolio and never - say anything negative about it.

- Ask for feedback.

- Build your network: ask for referrals, ask for directions and for advice.

- Good presentation skill.

- A follow-up thank-you note is appreciated.

Palacio, Bryony Gomez. Vit, Armin. Flaunt: Designing effective, compelling and memorable portfolios of creative work. Taxas: Underconsideration, 2010.