Design by the social media committee
Power to the people through social media! The Tooting Popular Front would have had a field day in promoting their message to the masses with today’s technology.
But how is mass comment and public sway going to affect the emotive subject of design in the future? Are organisations going to take risks and confront opinion or will the likes of Facebook and Twitter become the populist sounding ground for all things safe?
If social media becomes a barometer for whether something is good or bad then can we trust the decision of the new networks? Do Twitter users have as much a stereotypical taste and a homogenised view of the world as other society groups? Are they to be trusted more than say Daily Mail readers with our future?
Design in my opinion is a reflection of the designer and is as much about their aspirations for the future than what may be initially perceived by public opinion. We need to take risks and push boundaries and mass public opinion tends to hit the middle ground and is usually based on gut reaction.
I hope that mediocrity and safe design does not rise to the forefront due to an organisation’s hesitancy to avoid high profile criticism from people who can easily RT without too much thought to why and wherefore. Will corporations become increasingly panicky and quick to react as their buzz monitoring goes off the scale!
You might argue that it works both ways and good can rise to the surface as easily as mediocre. However, good design is rarely acclaimed instantly by the masses. People tend to play it safe. Look at the popularity of retro car design such as the Fiat 500, Mini, Audi TT etc.
Public opinion has always been there but today’s social media makes it more powerful, faster to grow and less in the hands of editors. There are a number of examples in history of controversial design causing national debate. How more pronounced would the outcry or defence be today?
Who remembers the original Ford Sierra? Only a few in the digital world I guess. The predecessor of the Mondeo. I remember seeing my first one on holiday in Torquay. Launched in 1982 it was like no other Ford ever seen before. Not boxy but all aerodynamic and curvy. It sparked massive outcry from ‘joe public’ via newspapers and word of mouth.
Pity those young contemporaries driving around (plus the business reps) in their jelly moulds. Ridiculed at every set of traffic lights for their stance towards modernity!
However, due to the economics in changing a car design and maybe the resolve of the boardroom, Ford had the chance to be proven right. Ten years later it was selling in the millions and was the catalyst that changed car design throughout the period.
Then we had the BT logo. Again outcry but we all got used to it and the piper drinking the yard of ale remained. Would it have survived with a Facebook campaign against it?
Other design outbursts were the BA tail fins. Designed in 1997 to reflect the multi-cultural destinations of the Airway the tail fins were designed by prominent world artists. I liked them and still do. But they weren’t British enough and with Virgin staking their claim to the flag carrier spot they had to go by non internet popular demand. The final score; British public 1 – International artists 0.
I wonder if social media would have saved or turned the screw further if BA launched them today. I would like to think they would have been spared?
The 2012 Olympic logo was probably a year early from total social media ridicule or support. I like the values and spin but not the identity itself. Now Olympic sponsors are trying hard to integrate and colour it to match their identities/advertising but it still jars the majority of the time.
So what does the future hold? It will be interesting to see how social media evolves to be a test and sounding board for new design and products and whether creativity and expression is compromised by the 140 character generation. Let’s hope social media is a tool and not the judge and jury.
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