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