Light Modernity means that Design is the Product
Design becomes paramount in ultra-light modernity? When ideas and architecture float, only the lightest can rise to the top, but in contradiction, this ultimate lightness is what garners attention. Black holes of attention, in which no mental state can escape (after reaching the even horizon) are the fate of the lightest objects.
In Marketing Prof, Alan Wolk writes, “At a time when so many products have become mere commodities and when advertising doesn’t have the effect it once did, design is the best way to differentiate yourself from the pack. And, t-shirts notwithstanding, people will pay more for good design, because good design has a halo effect and makes the product seem more valuable.”
“Good design isn’t limited to products, either. Stores can have good design (Starbucks, Whole Foods) and so can airlines (Virgin, Jet Blue). The message of good design is that “we’re thinking about you, our customer. We’re designing a product that you’ll feel good about.” It’s how companies can differentiate themselves these days and it’s more valuable than any kind of advertising or 2.0 trick out there.”
“In terms of stores having good design, it is more the ‘experience’ of design that makes design so successful. We are transitioning into an experience/attention economy, which makes the experience of the product (the product and the universe associated with the product) the upmost priority. Starbucks coffee would be nothing without its label, without its atmosphere, without that experience. As the architecture of experience goes online, design will be the ultimate harbinger of visitor success. It will be the ultimate, the everything. The design becomes the product.”
Design becomes paramount in ultra-light modernity. When ideas and architecture float, only the lightest can rise to the top, but in contradiction, this ultimate lightness is what garners attention. Black holes of attention, in which no mental state can escape (after reaching the even horizon) are the fate of the lightest objects.
