Stick to your roots Improvement above Change

Transcription

1 Stick to your roots Improvement above Change

2 Kaizen Perpetual improvement is called Kaizen in Japanese. This school of thought assumes that improvement is a much better approach than change. Think it through: can you really be sure that renewal will lead to success? There is always a big risk that change will prove to be very expensive but will lead to nothing. You cannot plan the future. However, you can plan when you opt for improvement. Kaizen always leads to success and is planned from start to finish. It allows you to retain the merits of a product or a design, while only improving the aspects that need improvement.

3 What needs to be improved? Why do we always crave change? This is largely due to the consumer s desire to be doing something worthwhile, to own the very latest products, and to practice the most responsible and sustainable forms of consumption. Many consumers have a desire to stand out and to be unique. But change, if we think about it, has certain negative qualities. According to the well-known Dutch philosopher René Gude, when we claim that a change is necessary, we are actually maintaining that what we have now is not good enough. When you think about how you can improve something, you are actually working from the good qualities that are already present. This allows you to be more satisfied with the current situation. Gude mentions this in the context of the individual and society, but it is equally applicable to companies, brands and, of course, design.

4 Keeping what s familiar Change should not, however, be excluded completely. Improvement and change belong together. There is always a point at which the potential for improvement becomes exhausted. This is when one has to effect change. So change is not by definition a bad thing. But in recent times, improvement has been largely ignored. Brands introduced one innovation after the other, and lost sight of the value of existing products in the process. But we sense that there is a shift underway, and that interest in improvement is gathering pace. Both brands and consumers are becoming aware that an improved product is often more unique than a new product. It is very motivational: you become aware of what is good about a product and you have a brainstorm about what could be improved. The result? A design that keeps its strong and familiar qualities but has been perfected exactly in accordance with people s wishes and has even perhaps gained a completely new function in the process!

5 dbod At dbod, we are advocates of improvement above change. We improve, on an evolutionary level, designs that are good but are just lacking something. This is, perhaps, not quite as exciting or sexy as changing designs, but it does generate calm. We reuse the good elements, as recognition is generally an important benchmark, for both brand owners and consumers. We do not deny the past: what we have now has given us sterling service, but is just in need of some improvements. We are satisfied or even very happy, and we want to stay that way.

6 Calvin Klein Back to the roots Calvin Klein has been around for more than 25 years. The brand was recently bought by a large company. It s no surprise that Calvin Klein has felt the need to reassert its fundamental values as a brand, and to rediscover its essence. They achieved this by taking their campaign right back to the basis of the brand, that was laid in Campaign images of the time were used verbatim, while new images were added, in the style of the originals. A number of the models who had appeared back then were even used again. They have become synonymous with the brand, so why not work with them on the new campaign?

7 The Year of the Bible 2014, the Year of the Bible. Hollywood has taken this trend seriously. Hollywood has proved, by releasing a number of successful Biblical films during the last year, that it is feasible to breathe new life into an ancient Bible story and that this approach can attract a new audience. The essence of the story is unchanged; the message remains the same. But, by presenting it through the medium of film, it becomes attuned to our times. Made available to a large audience. Not only does this old, apparently stuffy story get told in a respectful yet modern and entertaining manner, but the film and its story inspire people to reflect.

8 The endless stream of upgrades that typifies the digital world has now infiltrated the world of physical objects, driven by the consumer s demand for faster and seamless access to everything that is new, and facilitated by technology. Change satisfies two important requirements of the consumer: - The desire to be doing something worthwhile - To practice a more responsible and sustainable form of consumption Many consumers feel guilty regarding the impact that their consumerism has on the planet, society, and themselves. Improvement above change delivers a reduced effect on the footprint that we leave behind on the world. Upgradia Examples: The Floyd leg, Structure Sensor 3D scanner & Lumu Light Meter.

9 We have used photos that we discovered on the internet for this presentation. Our thanks to the photographers listed below who have given us permission to use their photo. PAGE02 PAGE03 PAGE04 PAGE PAGE 07 PAGE