Beyond the point of purchase: Conveying brand values through experiential retailing. A case study of the Iittala brand

Brands are no longer isolated entities that only represent the products they offer; now they are often closely associated to their environmental contexts, cultures, and shared values. This presents a challenge for companies that are experienced in their domestic markets but desire to expanding globally, as the strong cultural connotations they have worked so hard to form may become lost in translation. The brand that this study focuses on is Iittala, a premium Scandinavian home goods brand owned by the company, Fiskars. This thesis aims to explore the methods of storytelling that are effective in brand communication and education for international brands such as Iittala, when expanding globally. To this end, this study looks specifically into the Asia-Pacific, a market of interest, to explore the qualities of Scan- dinavian design and products that appeal to its consumers. Furthermore, this thesis seeks to de- termine ways for brands to better understand its international customers. The research was conducted with a purpose of understanding the perspectives of the key players, including the local store clerks, the target consumers, and management. Literature reviews and ethnographic interviews were employed, as well as in-store observations and shadowing at various Iittala retail locations. The results indicated a need for rapid response to the ever-changing needs of Asia-Pacific consum- ers, and the need for a better understanding of their customers’ shopping behaviours in order to align the brand’s retail strategies. This study will propose a re-designed customer journey that incorporates the MyIittala platform as a tool of data collection, and offer a method of introducing this initiative through the implementation of a pop-up pavilion

Awakening the “sleeping beauty” of Japanese tableware : the roles of linguistic fetish and iconicity

This study demonstrates how a little known brand of traditional Japanese pottery, Hasami ware, has revitalised itself through visual representation in names, logos, and product designs. This successful case of brand revitalisation can be a model for the Japanese traditional craft industry, which has been struggling to enliven its business for a long time. In analysing brand names, the idea of “linguistic fetish” (Kelly-Holmes 2005; 2014), “the phenomenon of using languages for symbolic (fetishised) rather than utility (instrumental-communicative) purposes in commercial texts” (Kelly-Holmes 2014, 135), is adopted. In addition, the effects of the iconic resemblance between logotypes and products are also analysed. Finally, the newly revitalised brand image of Hasami ware is discussed

Aesthetics of Food: The Role of Visual Framing Strategies for Influence Building on Instagram

This thesis employs quantitative content analysis to investigate how social media influencers use aesthetic image design to engage followers. The study investigates the ten most-followed food influencers on Instagram in the United States. The study looks at the effectiveness of visual framing strategies, focusing on the images (N = 120) of influencers which have received more than 10,000 likes in 2017. Results show that food influencers prefer to post images about cooked food, without any decorations, using high contrast colors and close-up shots. Raw food images were found to be associated with cluttered composition and far away shoots, whereas cooked food images were associated with high contrast and close-up, especially the top-down camera angle. An instructive perspective emphasizes the importance of considering how food can be accommodated within the framework of a meal, and it regards taste as an approach to describing aesthetic norms. Concerning the presentation, the gestures, and the presentation of the meal, food provides a new way that helps people to think and constitute social relations. The author offers a theoretical account of food influencers’ strategies to summarize how the exercise of taste marks a significant omission in our understanding of visual analysis regarding social capital and aesthetic discrimination. This study represents a step toward a more cogent and digital-focused aspect of visual framing. The results imply benefits that would accrue to companies with interesting approaches to develop communication strategies linked to food. The effects of image-based dietary communication provide implications for visual communication to replicate and expand upon the successes of the influencers in the public interest. The results also have implications for advertising and the use of social media within marketing

Cultural reflections on furniture

Culture is the social behaviours in human being’s society, but it can also influence designers and their works. If Nordic design is considered popular, can the design methodology duplicate to reflect East Asian culture? Can a design language be refined from the carrier of culture, such as architectures? By knowing more about Nordic design and East Asian culture, A good design with East Asian culture and Nordic minimalism can be made. It is a test of blending design methodology with another culture so that a successful experience can be referred and design can also become a tool to help communicate between different cultures. The starting point is different from traditional design process which comes from structure or user cases, but from a culture. History of Scandinavian design is analysed to receive the clue of the design philosophy. As a good cultural carrier, traditional architecture in East Asia can stably reflect local culture. The design language can refined from these architecture to reflect the culture. Torii, as an example, is selected. Many researches on structure and shapes are done for next form exploration. Using sketches and mockups, these elements can be transferred into a chair to reflect its inherent culture. There are relatively certain elements that can represent a certain culture in architecture. These traditional architectures provide a timeline to trace the evolution of a culture. In the meanwhile, these elements can be refined and reused. Furthermore, with the help of simple and minimalistic design philosophy, these elements are also suitable to show in a design to tell a cultural story. Even though the elements and character are different and from East Asian culture, with the same Nordic design methodology, it can still be self-adapted, natural and elegant. By expressing Asian culture in Nordic language, there could be more possible potential products designed. Thereby, design can be a new carrier or tool to modernise the old traditional culture and make these culture universally useful and attractive again. Moreover, as the same principle, this method can also be spread to other cultures and more well-designed products in accordance with local culture and living habits can appear

PREMIUM DESIGN Enhancing Synergies between Design and Business in Education and Practice

In today’s globalised era, the concept of “affordable luxury” has continuously challenged the traditional luxury business, leading to a broader expansion of democratic luxury meaning. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly raised awareness of the crucial importance of such a market segment. Alongside the flourishing growth of the premium sector, academia and practitioners have addressed the urgent need to engage in closer university-industry collaboration to yield synergistic results. In this book, visionary experts across the globe share their opinions on the shifting paradigm of the luxury world, from discussing aspects of the new cultural rendering of “premium-ness” to inquiring about challenges and possibilities that the design education sector is facing, proposing solutions to enhance the synergies between design and business, strengthening universityindustry ties for a future higher education landscape

Luxury retailers and the challenges of emerging markets : Loja das Meias case study

The luxury industry has been growing strong for the past decade. Luxury is now everywhere and accessible to many more consumers. The present thesis investigates how emergent foreign consumers interact and impact the situation in Portugal, where most retail areas sank in the recession, the luxury market seems to be rising with several international high-end brand opening new stores in Lisbon. Throughout this thesis one question will be answered: “how can Portugal’s luxury retailers can be the bridge between international luxury brands and the consumers from emergent countries, with a closer focus on the Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Angola, Brazil, and Mozambique”. Loja das Meias, one of the oldest Portuguese luxury retailers, will illustrate which changes, and new strategies a retailer has to undergo to better reach and serve emergent consumers. To support the findings, an interview to the Director of Stores was conducted, as well as a survey to general luxury consumers to help shed some light into the profiles of these new consumers. Thus, consumers can be divided into two groups: (1) Snobs, composed by Angolans and Brazilians who value the internal dimensions of luxury, and attach importance to price as a signal of quality and exclusivity; (2) Bandwagon, featuring Chinese consumers who given their collectivistic culture are more prone to purchase in groups and conspicuous consumption. The majority of luxury retailer is increasingly more depended upon this new customer base, who seeks in Portugal a wider and more affordable offering. Finally, a teaching note is also provided to help scholars and students analyse the case study in a class situation.Na última década, a indústria do luxo tem vindo a crescer bastante. O luxo está agora muito mais presente e acessível a muitos mais consumidores. A presente tese estuda a interação e impacto que os novos consumidores de luxo oriundos de países emergentes têm tido no mercado Português, onde as restastes áreas do retalho estão em recessão, o mercado de luxo mostra sinais de crescimento, com algumas das mais prestigiadas marcas internacionais a abrir lojas em Lisboa. Durante a discussão, uma pergunta servirá como fio condutor: “de que maneira conseguem os retalhistas de luxo portugueses ser a ponte entre as marcas de luxo internacionais e os consumidores de países emergentes, nomeadamente os de Língua oficial portuguesa, como Angola, Brasil e Moçambique”. A Loja das Meias, um dos primeiros retalhistas de luxo em Portugal, servirá como exemplo para ilustrar que medidas e estratégias são tomadas para chegar e melhor servir estes novos segmentos. Para sustentar as conclusões, foi feita uma entrevista à Diretora de Lojas da empresa, bem como um questionário a consumidores de luxo, para melhor traçar o perfil dos novos consumidores. Assim, os consumidores podem ser divididos em 2 grupos: (1) Snobs, constituído por Angolanos e Brasileiros, que valorizam as dimensões internas do luxo e veem preços como sinal de qualidade e exclusividade; (2) Bandwagons, do qual fazem parte consumidores Chineses, que devido a sua cultura colectivista são mais dados a compras em grupo e por imitação. A maioria dos retalhistas de luxo está de facto dependente desta nova base de consumidores, que procura em Portugal uma oferta mais alargada a preços mais acessíveis. Para concluir, é também fornecida uma Teaching Note para que professores e alunos possam analisar este estudo de caso no contexto de uma sala de aula

‘The best teapot never designed’: re-engineering the Brown Betty

This thesis plots a practice-based Collaborative Doctoral Award working in partnership with York Art Gallery, the British Ceramics Biennial, Manchester School of Art and the Stoke-on-Trent ceramics manufacturer Cauldon Ceramics. The project was animated by a central question: ‘How can holistic design practices of the individual designer-maker inform and enhance the design aesthetics and design practices of the industrial ceramic manufacturer?’ This thesis is an investigation of the phenomenon of the individual designer-maker and their potential to act as a catalyst for industrial ceramic innovation. The centring of practice recognises that the maker’s professional skills and expertise produce a specific valuable contribution to knowledge creation. I understand my role within this research as a hybrid ‘designer-practitioner-researcher’ (Vaughan, 2019). Cauldon Ceramics is the last remaining producer of the Brown Betty teapot – a traditional design that originated in Stoke-on-Trent in the mid-eighteenth century. Once produced in the millions per year, it has been in decline since the late 1970s. Through a process of primary archival research, literature reviews, site visits, material experimentation and prototyping, as well as public discourse in the form of exhibitions, talks and publications, I identified Cauldon Ceramics as an appropriate manufacturer to test a live case study. My research ascertained that the Brown Betty should be revitalised for a number of reasons: A Brown Betty made in Staffordshire has cultural significance; There is a lack of historical and contemporary understanding of the object and inconsistencies within the available literature; The design details of the product itself have deteriorated over the last 40 years indicating that the Brown Betty has both evolved and deteriorated; The cultural significance of the object is being lost in the design, manufacture and promotion of both the contemporary Staffordshire made versions and overseas imported versions. During this practice-based research I have re-discovered a forgotten innovative past, re-defined the cultural significance of the Brown Betty, identified historical precedents in the design and manufacturing of the object, developed new markets, and cultivated and galvanised stakeholders. I have re-engineered and re-launched the object through a process of re-design and the re-introduction of innovative historical patents, contemporary design details and new manufacturing processes. The result is a revitalised object named the ‘Re-engineered Brown Betty’ teapot

Cultural Translation: An Analysis of Chinese Tropes in Emerging Luxury Chinese Lifestyle Fashion Brands

Due to the considerable impact of Orientalism in the 1990s, Chinese tropes began to be widely deployed in global luxury fashion brand collections. In the late twentieth century, following the success of ‘China style’ effects, the use of Chinese tropes was a dominant trend in emerging luxury Chinese branding practices. The deployment of Chinese tropes as representations of nationality in brand design has generated vigorous debate about the effectiveness of cultural translation. Edward Said (1994) has termed such an ideological ‘East’ as ‘Orientalism’ and claims that the Orient is ‘an integral part of European material civilisation and culture’ (Said, 1994, p.2). This phenomenon of the Chinese trope design continues to leave a visible mark in brand communications in the twenty-­‐first century. This research investigates the ways in which emerging luxury Chinese lifestyle fashion brands make use of Chinese tropes, symbols, and metaphors in branding practices within the context of the cultural, social, political, and economic changes in China from 1994 to 2014. This study attempts to construct visual taxonomies to examine the cultural expression of Chinese tropes in the material culture of China, generating a visual archive of Chinese identity interpretation. The study also draws upon multiple case studies of emerging luxury Chinese lifestyle fashion brands to investigate the ramifications and the perceived limitations of the practice of Chinese trope deployment and their relationship to a shift in Chinese identity caused by changing lifestyles. The thesis also challenges the notion of authenticity of ‘Chinese brand’ and ‘Made in China’ and highlights the need to redefine the assessment criteria of ‘country of origin’ for global luxury branding practices in the future

Design in Motion: The Everyday Object and the Global Division of Design Labour

The practice of design has become obscured by global networks of production, circulation, and consumption. Traditional design studies tend to focus on high-profile products, presenting heroic designers as the primary authors of works of design. This approach is inadequate for understanding design in the late-twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Contemporary design is better understood as an iterative and distributed process of give-and-take among actors, human and non-human, including people, tools, places, and ideas. It is a process that is influenced by conditions along the commodity chain that fall outside of the designers traditionally recognized sphere. This research demonstrates that commonly held conceptions of designers as sole authors and of design work as a largely intellectual, creative activity distanced from manufacturing, misrepresent the real practices and relations of design labour in the current global economy. Two object ethnographies follow the production, circulation, and consumption of everyday, mass-produced goods: the Vanessa steel-toe boot by Mellow Walk and the Non Stop flatware by Gourmet Settings. These case studies map networks of design labour across continents, countries, cities, and generations. Primary research includes 18 interviews, observations of environments and practices, and the analysis of material evidence. This process reveals actors whose contributions have typically been omitted from design history, and describes practices of design that contest traditional depictions of designers, design work, and evidence thereof. This research contributes a fuller and more accurate understanding of the range of creative labour and labourers involved in the design and development of goods for global markets while challenging the view of these goods as placeless and culture-free. I respond to the call by design historians to extend the scope of designs histories beyond the West, and I build on the work of design and creativity scholars who identify design thinking outside of recognized design roles. My work challenges established hierarchies of design, including who is permitted to design, which countries are perceived as superior sources of design and manufacturing expertise, and the hand-head dichotomy that underwrites how we think about design and that has been entrenched in traditional conceptions of manufacturing and the global division of labour. Understanding how the work of design is distributed and how it has changed in response to globalization gives insight into the politics of production and consumption