Clive Dilnot thinks that design is not only for selling, but also to build an ideal future. I agree. For me, brand is a dream,and this dream is base on the real world but more. The most wonderful thing is that I can make my dreams come true through advocating some specific brand. For example, Haagen-Daze in Taiwan (6 USD a small can), is very expansive for everyone(my salary is about 900 USD per/month, before tax). However, the girls who can't pay for a pair of Prada shoes, buy Haagen-Daze. They can feel like princesses through Haagen-Daze. A brand has the power to make a poor girl become a princess. And it is an important power--the power of fantasy.
According to Clive Dilnot's theory, we should put our efforts into designing a dream for the future, (or take responsibility for the future). Time is always charmy. For the future, we apply imagination and curiosity. For the past, we repeat our happiest memories in mind, again and again. For now, we stand on an interesting point, dreaming the future and nostalgia at the same time. Time and brand hold the same power --- the fantasy. We can see brand trough design, advertisment...But we can't see time. We can own a personal, private time(a memory or a dream), but it is hard to own a personal brand. So, how about branding time?
A restaurtant named "SAIC 2004"
Comics, novels, movies, computer games .... are a kind of expressing the fancy of time. I like all of them. They let me into a different time and space. However, Comics or movies are flat objects, they can't provide me smell. They are not like Coke which can be take everywhere. So my branding time is grab a place(Chicago) and a group of people--maybe our classmates . Imagine-- maybe after 30 years, people open a restaurtant named "SAIC 2004". All of us(9 students and one teacher) work in that resturtant. Lavin , the teacher may be the owner, and others are waiters or chefs . This classroom has at least 2 foreign students. So there are some Taiwanese pearl tea (a very popular drink in Taiwan now) or some French snacks on the menu. The interior design looks like our classroom or studio. Our artworks and Britney Spears' poster both hang on the wall. All of our daily food are on the menu. There is a small TV with DVD player at the coner, playing our farvorite TV shows .(I know most of us like football games, so maybe most time playing football games.) If some people want to use Chinese to order meal, they can try to catch me. The most interesting day maybe the "Art sale" day or "Critique Week". At that time, people can not only enjoy an "art student meal", but also take some small gifts(art works) back home. Or while they eat their dinner, they can critique my work at the same time, just like teachers. However, don't come to this restaurtant at Thinksgiving or Christmas day. Because all the people back home, only I and someone born in Chicago stay. So , the restaurtant may only offer simply meal, but you can see treasure Chicago holiday pictures in the restaurtant.(the Marshall Fields' and Michingen Avenue's decorations.) This restaurant will not only show how many wonderful things in Chicago, but also reflect how this city make relantionship with international culture. Remember that you can eat Taiwanese food in "SAIC 2004".
Actually, it is not my idea to brand time, because many people already do it. There is an area named "Tamsui" in Taiwan. This place is famous for selling "history." Tamsui keeps some historic architectures . Some built by Dutch ( they once owned north Taiwan hundards years ago). Some are the Janpanese style buildings (Janpan owned Taiwan 60 years ago). The past colonial cultures still infuence today. This area satisfy our curiousity about both past Taiwan and past western countries. In Tamsui, you can see a wierd scenery, McDonalds neighbor is "grandma's prune tea." Artists move into Tamsui, and families visit Tamsui at weekend. In this area, for sale is a deformed history. All the time events get together ( from 1700 Ad until now). All the "time" so real--the real history, the true building, and same taste prune tea as 60 years ago. but also fake(the specially designed streets). Just like Henry Steiner's cross-culture design. His design is western-taste oriental design. Tamsui sells a comtempory-taste past. It is a little similar like Las Vagas which is branding different time and different cultures. All of them are deformed but fabulous dreams. If our design need to take responsibility for the future, how about brand a 2034- taste "Chicago 2004". Everything is still 2004's Chicago, but more 2034's aesthetics. Try to make Chicago perfect. I mean, not so real. This time, not a restaurtant, how about a computer game?
Computer game Yi-Nung 2004
The main character Yi-Nung (nickname eno), is Asia girl Eno is dressed well(not "Chicago" T-shirt bought from Walgreens), and always with makeup. A lot of decorations on her body, all of them are presentation 2004 fashion design. People who play the character Eno, must find her best friends. They will help Eno with the language problem. Eno must visit all the gallerys in Chicago, take CTA to buy art supplies and not get lost, use English to discuss in class, Visit Field Museum, Know where is American girls' place,not miss any due day..... or you will fail the game. Through this game, people will enjoy in Chicago 2004. Because the food that Eno eats is famous Chicago thick stuffed pizza, not McDonalds. The place Eno shopping is Marshall Fields, not Walgreens and Jewel. All SAIC's buildings become so beautiful and huge, and Chicago CTA so clean. There are always handsome guys everywhere to help Eno. People on the streets all dressed "Gucci, LV,YSL,...." Eno's friends talk about arts all the time, not "oh, I am poor, I need to get some money". Eno's favorite drinks, Eno's favorite snacks..... All specially designed. And all the objects in the game are for sale in the real world. So everybody can imagine that she is Eno. Actually, I am curious that which one will be the most popular in the future? the object that will still exist after 30 years(people can compare with their life) or the one will dispear (people can only image.)
Although I agree that a brand is sale dreams, I can also tell, that love(or dreams ) sometimes is complicated. For example, the most popular advertisements and products in Taiwan recently are branding some "old cheap food", and "old poverty life". Why? Because most Taiwanese born at 1950's and 60's have poverty childhood. And now, they become "rich"(have a small apartment, or a little saving, and don't need to worry about food and clothes). It is interesting, that their poor, hungry childhood become the most wonderful memory in their life. When they saw the advertisement description the poor childhood, they all crazy. "yes, yes, that ugly old bike was my dream, when I was a child (but I never get one, now I have a car) ". "yes, yes, that disgusting sweet potato rice,I ate everyday when I was a child, I hated... , but I want to taste again , now." Although our expection of life is convenience, luxurious, and rich(the same as we wish for our future), we never forget our poor life.
Or, it is more interesting that even the bad memories,after a period of time, all become wonderful. I am curios ,that those Taiwanese girls who buy Haagen-Daze (the same age as I), when they getting old and rich. Which "old products " will be their favorite? Haagen-Daze or a cheap meal (not exceed 1 USD) sold around their offices or schools ? For me, they are all delicious, and I didn't buy Haagen-Daze in Taiwan( but buy in U.S.--when big sales). If I didn't see my monther's crazy for the "disgusting sweet potato rice". I will say "Haagen-Daze" will be their "future nostalgia." But now, I don't know which one. Time is miracle,right?
My last brand time: Cheap Chicago 2004
I am poor, now. I am a poor Asia student. The cheap and delicious Chinese food I ate in Taiwan is always in my dream. I enjoy collecting coupons. I bought one stuff after considered three times. My clothes comes from "Discount Village" and Walgreens. I stand half day in Borders for reading my favorite comics. All these "poor but wonderful things" will become a grocery store named "Cheap Chicago 2004" in the future. This grocery sales including my friend's favorite "Au bon Pain's 4pm-6pm dessert sale".Also including my winter boots bought when "payless footwear buy 2 get 1 free". Thinking about all our discount shops get together become a store in the future.Check out free DVD from library. On New Years Day, eat cheap east food(at Jackson street) with Korean friends. The brand "Cheap Chicago 2004" sales things will not exist in the future.All the stuff we may not like but we all have now. And it will be a grocery store-style museum, in the future. I want to put a coupon collection book at the front of store. So that people could look back their life through these coupons and smile. Let us go to 7-11 in Taiwan. They sale "sweet potato rice" today, and old people buy.Some of them buy for themselves, others for their kids. Through this food, our parents share their childhood with us, and we feel and enjoy their past dreams. My "Cheap Chicago 2004" is not designing a wonderful dream for the future. It is only reflection a true life. Time, makes everything wonderful.
Did I tell you a secrect? The "sweet potato rice" sold in 7-11 is not the same taste as 40 years ago. Their advertisment truly reflect that time, but their products are more delicious. They know, if they sell the same taste as 40 years ago, people will never buy it second time. However, One of my friends who was born in Chicago, and then moved out, now she returned to study at SAIC. She told me the famous Chicago stuffed pizza still tastes the same as 20 years ago. Back to Tamsui, this small area mix the with the original --"grandma's prune tea, (the same taste as 60 years ago)" with original hundreds years ago's Dutch buildings. However, the new designed streets collect all the times together. My opinion of "Fake and Fabulous Taiwanese Dream" is Tamsui. And It is also a successful branding because now, all 7-11 in Taiwan sale Tamsui's antique snacks. Branding time needs skills. Because time is also cross-culture design, we dreamed our past life and others'(Dutch, Janpan people) at same time. McDonalds have to face antique Dutch buildings in Taiwan.Both of them make eachother more fancy.
My theory is when we design a brand, we must think what will be left after time. --Consumers treasure happiness moments. Be sure to hold every tiny element which makes people smile. For me, maybe the food coupon, for you , maybe football. However, all of these things compose "now", and after 30 years, all will be deformed, beautified and become our nostalgia
| Education | ||||
| Sept.2003- | School of Art Institute of Chicago MFA studio, designed Object |
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| Sept. 1996-June 2000 | Tunghai University, Taichung Taiwan Bachelor of Science Department of Industrial Design |
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| Sept. 1995-June 1996 | Tunghai University, Taichung Taiwan Department of Landscape Architecture |
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| Working Experience | ||||
| 2003 | Designer, Howdesign Company, Taipei, Taiwan | |||
| Electronic product and computer accessory design | ||||
| 2000-2002 | Designer, Kingston Lux Corp. Taipei, Taiwan | |||
| Product design, supervision of children toys and furniture. | ||||
| Poster design and website ( vitual showroom scheme) | ||||
| 1999-2000 | Internship, Metro Toy Company Taichung, Taiwan | |||
| 3-D/2-D computer modeling of electronic toys | ||||
| Conceptual and and schematic product design | ||||
| Skills | ||||
| Industrial design | ||||
| Graphic design | ||||
| Computer soft ware: illustractor, photoshop, Pro-E, solid works | ||||
| Free-hand sketch | ||||
| Basic wood, metal, welding, casting, and plastic model making skill | ||||