Narrative Assets

Design By Story: The Psychology of Car Design

A recent article in CAA magazine discussed the emotional reasons that people are drawn to cars. According to Lars Perner, associate professor at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California,"a car is a kind of extension of the self - it seems to send a message about what kind of person one is and one's sense of values and style."

This view of a car possessing qualities that relate to us on an almost human level is common to timeless brands. For a brand to be timeless, it must relate to us on both a rational and emotional level. Certain car brands relate to certain types of personalities. Think of the Ford Mustang. According to Cheskin, Mustang had emotional meaning to the American public as it represented an animal that was "rugged" and "fast." Americans could identify with these qualities, and the styling of the Mustang was in harmony with the name.

Anthony Prozzi, design manager for Ford in Michigan, explains that "part of a designers job is to play psychologist, anthropologist and sociologist, and knowing those things helps you read consumers and know what puts a smile on their faces."

Cars have personalities, just as humans do. Prozzi, who once designed menswear at Donna Karan, uses the principle of story when he designs cars. He says that even before he puts a pen to paper, he needs a good story. He does this by asking the questions "Who is this person or group of people? How do they live? What do they respond to and what are they sensitive to?"

Even the colour of cars can have psychological impact and meaning. A current trend is to show shades of colours meant to represent everything organic. Green could be modified as a reaction to the environmental movement.

What type of car do you drive? What colour is it - and what do you think that colour says about you? 

Meaningful Brand Experiences - Design Management Institute

I'm on the mailing list for the DMI (Design Management Institute) and am intrigued by the nature of their research and innovative seminars. The organization is based in Boston, and is an "international nonprofit organization that seeks to heighten awareness of design as an essential part of business strategy." It has become the leading international resource and authority on design management.

In an upcoming seminar entitled "Strategies for Designing Meaningful Brand Experiences", Dave Norton, Principal and Lead Strategist for Stone Mantel, will be teaching design managers and strategists ways in which to innovate new experiential offerings. Testimonials for Dave's course read like a "Who's Who" list of Powerbrands: Kraft, Disney, AOL and Campbell Soup Company.

The seminar outline states that the most pressing need for today's consumers is the need for meaningful brand experiences. In a world cluttered with what seems to be a neverending supply of marketing messages, the notion of incorporating "meaning" into brands and consumer products makes a lot of sense.

When I think back to certain milestones in my life - or events that simply made me happy, I could mark those experiences on what I call my own "personal branding chart." The chart would include certain brands (or artifacts) that relive the story of certain events in my life - or bring back some sort of memory or feeling about the event I experienced at the time.

For example, when I was sick as a child, a bowl of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup would always make me feel better. To this day, I get those same feelings (and almost relive the experience of feeling cared for and healthy) by sipping a bowl of Campbell's soup. I remember days at the cottage spent sipping the occasional Molson beer. When I see people enjoying the beer, my mind wanders to those days by the lake. The mere mention of the Quebec resort Mont-Tremblant lingers up memories of winters spent gliding down black diamond runs in minus 30 degree temps. I can still see the ice crystals forming on my goggles!

The point is this...successful brands are able to create some sort of meaning for consumers. The "meaning" will have value depending on the person's experience with the brand and, if successful, the brand will hold value for that person throughout their life. It will come to MEAN something to them.

Every brand tells a story. What story could you tell on your own "personal branding chart?"