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Why World Leaders Will Be Designers

Posted on: 16 sept 2012



Otto Neurath. (Vienna,1882 - Oxford,1945)

The answer is simple: There are no suitable words to explain the world...and new ways of understanding are needed... And all possible ways of understanding lead us to a holistic comprehensive view of humanity that involve visual communication and designers.



Facts are overwhelming but: Why is not happening yet?, What impediments do designers need to overcome to be taken seriously?

While reading Otto Neurath's "From Hieroglyphics to Isotype" (1943-45), I came to this quite simple yet visionary explanation:

"What are the origins of the critical and obstructive attitude shown by some people as soon as the question of pictures arises and especially if pictures are systematically used to covey information?

In the middle ages, from which our civilization has inherited so much, those who were literate were particularly word-minded while the lives of the illiterate masses are circumscribed by impressive buildings, sculptures and paintings. As literacy spread and became general and environment grew up in which there was a rather puritanical attitude towards pictures. British parliamentary papers very rarely contained pictorial material. Neither orator nor journalists, both men of words serving topical purposes, nor even writers of more permanent literature in prose or verse were in the habit of using illustrations, although these were sometimes added afterwards by other people. Perhaps it is this tendency which has led to lack of appreciation of informative pictures and to a feeling that any kind of verbal communication must, of necessity, be of higher order than communication by pictures.[...] I think that the day of "eye-consciousness" is rapidly approaching. Communication of knowledge through pictures will play an increasingly large part in the future."

In other words: 


This is a world ruled by exclusively word-minded leaders...turning into hollistic-minded by necessity.

Have to give in...



Otto Neurath was an Austrian philosopher of sciencesociologist, and political economist. Before he was to flee his native country in 1934, Neurath was one of the leading figures of the Vienna CircleDuring the 1920s, Neurath also became an ardent logical positivist and championed 'the scientific attitude'.





What Do Customers Want? Brand Experience and Branded Content

Posted on: 9 sept 2012


Customers ar collectors of Experiences

2012. We all are consumers of experiences.


The common denominator of all of us is that we share our lives within our circles
of trust as never before. Being social it's about sharing. And we like it.
By sharing our experiences, we fulfill personal, professional, ideological needs: photos, ideas, trips, video, family, events that tell our story  and reveal who we are, what we know, where we want to go, our dreams, goals... And we learn from the experiences of others, too. 

Sharing our experiences enriches us individually: we are developing new social capabilities and  skills. Surprisingly, a tacit respect happens in most social media and groups.


After several years managing our personal social networks, we have literally put together a VISUAL overview of our life experiences. We could say that we have a global vision of our lives like never happened before in the history of human kind. 

It's an opportunity to personal growth: The natural next step is to analyze the pieces of our lives -the collection of our experiences-, to improve it: "What  experience am I missing? What experience I would like to accomplish? How could I complete this aspect of my life?, Always going on vacation to the some place so the same photo year after year? 


We have reached a point when everyone is a designer of their own life: to keep on building oneself up, we need content that would add value and complement our expectations. We are some kind of collectors of experiences that want to enhance our life project. 
We need contents to feed our social media.
Social Media is about people. 


CONSUMERS ARE ASKING FOR BRAND EXPERIENCE AND BRANDED CONTENT BUT WE - brands- ARE NOT BEING TRUST WORTHY AND WE ARE NOT BEING CAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING  WHAT COSTUMERS NEED.



And brands.

Everyone living on this planet  is a consumer since birth:  We all have brands that are meaningful to us and are part of our circle of trust, because they deserved it  because they have met the prerequisites required for any relationship based in confidence:

  • It is a reciprocal relationship
  • It will not betray my trust
  • It 's authentic
  • It gives me love-value
  • We share the same values ​​
  • It respect me and wants to know me better
  • Optimism and hope
  • A BRAND that brings to my life what I need.





And what happens when someone in whom you've trusted, betrays you in any of this points?



  • kick him/her off our circle of trust
  • Share the betrayal with whom would like to hear it
  • Prevent to our friends from him/her
  • Won't give a second chance 



What do costumers want?

We want brands to be meaningful to us and capable of adding real value to our lives ... brands trust worthy that won't betray us and smart enough to see that engagement is possible only in a  WIN-WIN relationship ... like in all relationships that work ;)








¿Qué Quieren los Consumidores?: Brand Experience + Branded Content

Los consumidores son coleccionista de experiencias


Todos somos consumidores de experiencias y de contenidos. El problema es que no conseguimos confiar en las marcas.

No hay más que observar qué hábitos tenemos TODOS: el denominador común es que compartimos nuestras vidas en círculos 
cada vez más amplios de confianza a través de las experiencias que vivimos. Tenemos todos los medios a nuestro alcance para hacerlo y las estadísticas nos dicen que nos gusta cada vez más. 
Compartir experiencias nos satisface aspectos personales, profesionales, terapéuticos, ideológicos...porque si no fuera así, no lo haríamos. Además, socializamos con respeto en la gran mayoría de los casos.

Las experiencias y contenidos que mostramos a nuestro circulo de confianza a través de fotos, ideas, viajes, vídeos, me gusta,...van contando nuestra historia, nuestra vida: van desvelando quienes somos, a quién conocemos, a dónde queremos llegar, cuales son nuestros sueños y nuestros miedos.
Y aprendemos de las experiencias de los demás.

Las conclusiones obvias: la más clara es que estamos compartiendo nuestras experiencias porque nos enriquece individualmente, si no fuera así, no lo haríamos. Y añado que claramente se está desarrollando una "confianza" en la comunidad anónima que formamos todos. Es sorprendente el respeto tácito que existe en la mayor parte de la redes y grupos. Cada vez queremos más.

Después de varios años, ya manejamos nuestras redes sociales y ya tenemos una visión panorámica de nuestra experiencia vital. Se puede decir que tenemos una visión global y visual de nuestra vida, y también la de nuestros amigos y conocidos de nuestro circulo de confianza. El paso siguiente es analizar para mejorar: ¿Qué experiencias me faltan y quiero tener?, ¿cómo puedo completar este aspecto de mi vida que dejé a medias?, Llevo 3 años colgando la misma foto de mis vacaciones en XXX, ¿Por qué no cambio..?

Hemos llegado ya al momento en el que cada uno es diseñador de su vida, y lo hace a través de contenidos que le añadan valor y complementen su expectativas:  somos coleccionistas de experiencias que mejoren nuestro proyecto vital.

LOS CONSUMIDORES NOS ESTAN PIDIENDO BRAND EXPERIENCE Y BRANDED CONTENT PERO NO SOMOS CAPACES DE DARLES CONFIANZA NI DE ENTENDER QUÉ ES LO QUE NECESITAN.


Y las marcas. Todas las personas que viven en este planeta aquí y ahora, somos consumidores desde que nacemos y tenemos marcas que ya son parte de nuestro circulo de confianza porque se lo han merecido: se lo han ganado porque han cumplido los requisitos indispensables que requiere cualquier relación de confianza:
  • Me corresponde: es una relación recíproca
  • No va a traicionar mi confianza
  • Es autentica
  • Me aporta amor-valor-esperanza
  • Tiene los mismos valores que yo
  • Me conoce y me respeta
  • Me infunde valores positivos

//Aporta a mi vida lo que yo necesito en cada momento//.



¿Y qué pasa cuando alguien a quién has dado tu confianza te traiciona en cualquiera de estos puntos? 

  • Le expulsas de tu circulo de confianza
  • Compartes la traición con quién quiera oírte
  • Previenes al tus amigos
  • No le das una segunda oportunidad ni a él/ella ni a su familia.


¿Qué quieren los consumidores? 
Queremos marcas que nos aporten valor real a nuestras vidas...desde una relación de confianza donde ambas partes reconocen que ésta es una relación de WIN-WIN...como todas las relaciones que funcionan ;)



Social Media is about people.




Imagen inicial: Mae y sus preciosos vinilos.






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