AESTHETICS AND A CULTURE OF ASPIRATION

The following text serves as a reflection on the relationship between ideas of social class, or status, and the design choices made to tap into the self-image and aspirations of a target audience; more specifically, discussion of how a message or product gets across to the desired consumer, identifying your market and whether it reaches its intended core group or not. What comes across as genuine sophistication in a message or brand and what is merely superficial adornment is a fine line. The desirability of something that is apparently of ‘high class’ is not new; drawing on observations made in the Chinese brandscape, viewed as a reflection of western ideas of the exotic or unfamiliar being desirable, highlights these issues perfectly. In discussing typography, other design elements and branding in general, I will be focusing on what constitutes the visual language of social status and the tropes that appear in every corner of the globe.

 “The Orient is not an inert fact of nature... not merely there just as the Occident is not just there either. Men make there own history... what they can know they have made and extend it to geography: as both geographic and cultural entities... as much as the West itself, the Orient is an idea... and the two reflect each other.” Edward Said, 1978. 

 “They wanna know who's my role model, It's in a brown bottle (You know our mother-fuckin’ motto) Hennessy.” 2Pac, 1994.

WE ARE NEVER ALONE 

Why discuss this theme you may ask? Well, I was traveling in the back of a taxi in Beijing one morning. It is the norm to have ads displayed on the back of the front seat headrests - increasingly these days, interactive touch screens, but in this case a regular print ad caught my eye. Partly this was because of the provocative, jaunty pose, and rather generously displayed cleavage placed centre right; add to that it was a western model - an only occasional trend in these parts (more on this later), but what really got me was the typography in the logotype and header. The ad is for a breast augmentation ‘salon’. 

 Initially focusing on observations made here in China, played against established patterns beyond its borders, I wish to present that the extent of how we universally identify the idioms and tropes of high quality, class or value, is actually quite uniform. Looking back at theories on Orientalism, I want to discuss the inverse of this. But in particular, Chinese society is ripe for responding well to these signifiers of perceived high living; there are rapidly growing numbers of newly wealthy Chinese drawn towards material and aesthetic symbols of success and achievement that are overtly representative of living large in western cultures. What are these elements? And, beyond this, I will discuss the issue of luxury brand image; what are its representational characteristics, what (un)desirable connections they have to there consumers and finally where is the line between subtle sophistication and garish crassness in design application. 

 FUR COAT AND NAE’ KNICKERS 

 Lets break down the coordinated attack of devices and signs at work in this ad: we have a clinically clean, slightly pastel-toned background; the model (western/european looking) is dressed in a glamorous silk evening gown, she is made up and bejewelled; logotype includes the name DonnaBella (Bella Donna), Italian for ‘beautiful woman’, the primary colour is a deep rose-pink and is in cursive script with some extravagant serif action - though in the alternate ad for the same company this is inconsistent - sloppy or intentional, either way not great. This is all suggestive of an elegant night out at the opera for a confident and desirable young femme. The rest of the tagline and copy is in Chinese, it describes the treat you are affording yourself by having the augmentation to your bust, and surprisingly, the price - 980 Chinese Renminbi, or approximately $600 US. 

 Basically, I witnessed the graphic equivalent of a downtown hussy strutting her stuff at the ambassadors party; the golfball-sized diamond ring and ruby red lip gloss belying any sense of subtlety and real elegance - I refer to costuming and propping, its not a judgement on the model herself. The idea that a boob-job would vastly improve your status in life is a really misguided attachment to a media maintained image of desirable body type, but pertinent here mainly because the asian female form is not known for being blessed with the more generous bust commonly found with western women. 

Seeing this ad reminded me of all the occasions I have come across signage, branding and imagery here in Asia where businesses and products apply characteristically western styling tropes and how these cliches no longer ensured the ‘class’ invoked by these branding elements. The key theme for many operations was that presenting an element of ‘foreignness’, an exotic entity in the marketplace, somehow also conveyed luxury. Even if the business was profoundly local in foundation as well as market demand for said product, the notion of something looking ‘imported‘ obviously carried the same cache as the exoticism we placed in our native lands on aesthetics of something from outside ones own familiar sphere. Unfortunately, this does not always carry off. The trend as mentioned, includes the earlier design choices and characteristics, particularly the use of English language in name and/or tagline, the frequency with which this is done badly though, i.e. heavy grammatical errors, or simply mixing contradictory terms, is a common sight on asian city streets. 

 There are two points to note here: first, the desirability of the Other, second, the application of design elements that have connotations of european luxury and sophistication applied to a product or message that is decidedly unsophisticated, in fact bargain basement - six hundred dollars is not going to buy you the highest grade implants, nor mammoplasty surgeons’ hands to insert them. A completely inconsistent level of ‘class‘ being alluded to with the target market for a discount boob-job. 

 Obviously, speaking for the UK and parts of the western world I have experienced, we are not opposed to the odd flash of neoclassical/baroque/mock-tudor/blingy... tat. Unsurprisingly at this stage of a developing nations relative consumerist (im)maturity, in China there is a great deal of equivalence of this to be encountered. The number of Chinese families who would be considered ‘born with a silver spoon in their mouths’ in the aristocratic sense is not huge, however in terms of nouveau riche, as well as a burgeoning middle class, the numbers are increasingly vast. With the relatively new ideals of entrepreneurial individualism of course aspirational conspicuous consumption is in evidence.

 Occidentalism is perhaps not the most accurate term to apply to this phenomena since that particular descriptor appears in a number of contexts being used to define a rather negative perception held against the West and west livity by those living in the East. Stemming from the concept of Orientalism, where the East is in fact romanticised or exoticised, for me occidentalism ought to be an equivalent reciprocation of that rather than the resentful dismissal of all things  (apparently) corrupt, indulgent and amoral - as is often the perception of the capitalist west. Orientalist ideas in the art world are seen throughout Romanticism to Art Nouveau and in current times, a raft of fine art, graphic design, music and philosophical trends. They brought the richness, excitement and energy of the middle and far eastern peoples into the grey-as-a-grudge, urban industrial Europe - the influence still very much present, particularly as cultures mix ever more freely. Clearly alongside the appreciation of the intoxicating perceived liberty of these far off lands and cultures, there did exist a serious note of patronisation and superiority, obviously encouraged by the colonial exploits with these countries in the past. However this was validated, the sense of the Other was one of intrigue coupled with romanticism, and though this led to a regard of simplicity and even backwardness by some, it did allow for the east to be painted with a great deal of colour and beauty. 

 The debate over Said’s assertions in his writing on this matter continues, but what can be agreed on at least, is one, yes there is a tendency in any country to view the other as inferior, but two, there was also genuine affection held by Europe and outsiders toward a great deal of Eastern culture. Based on this it is possible to see to this day that, bull-headed xenophobia aside, we are both in the East and the West identifying aspects of desirability in the other, it is not one way traffic. Therefore, in the absence of a keener term, I propose co-opting occidentalism and morphing it to describe the now favourable light the west appears in. This manifests mainly in the superficial terms of materialism and displays of wealth and status; on socio-political levels, certainly the ‘official’ societal attitude, there is still a pervading dismissiveness toward all things western, but what is increasingly embraced in the realms of consumer culture; that if you drive a European car, eat cerviche, carve your bread with a Philippe Starck knife, dress in Prada AND your wife has a glamour model bust, you have arrived. In graphic design and branding realms, a requisite 'flashy' visual language is employed. Thus, in terms of upwardly mobile aesthetic displays of sophistication, class or quality; signage and font selection for business cards, display fonts for lifestyle ads and branding in general all follow a distinct pattern. 

Cursive elaborate script - as if lifted straight from Louis XIV’s memoirs; a whole raft of overly ornate, baroque touches including impossibly knotted floral bordering; gold leafing; deep reds, purples, emerald green; roman numerals; gothic animistic creatures; crests and coats-of-arms are all readily in evidence. The reason for our attachment to these design elements we westerners are already familiar with is obvious. The use of cursive script comes from a time where writing was a rare talent, even more so if you worked at it akin to a classical Chinese calligrapher. Greek and Roman or any of the other past eras cultural influences seen, are generally out of an admiration and idealistic nostalgia for times ruled by classes of people whom held 'the arts' as an expression of their level of civilizational advancement. Take your pick throughout the centuries of extravagant displays of artistry commissioned by monied elites, distill these down together and we see continued implementation of the resultant brew in varying degrees everywhere. The question is, is there a way to carry the image of sophistication and ‘high-end’ without the use of the cliches of swank?

 As I looked further into this I discovered another suitable example of attempts at alluding to ‘it's foreign it must be classy’. The des-res high-end residential compounds around Beijing all go for it, not only in iso-logotype design, but the exteriors, adorned with a collision of millennia-spanning plaster stuccoes, cherubs, nymphs, greek/roman/greco-roman columns, fountains and the like. On top of all that, the language of choice is English. Where it falls down is that in fact these compounds only have cache until the next one pops up, which at Chinas current rate of development means probably before you would have enjoyed your first xmas in the place; add to that, the sometimes very amusing, out and out tacky, but usually just clumsy collision of words in the name. 

 Take your pick from the following cringeworthy and grandiose Chinglish names:  

‘New Times Square’, ‘Riviera Garden’ (‘garden’ sounds a little humdrum following the castanets and flamenco thrown up before it) ‘Chateau Regalia’, Chateaux Edinburgh’ (not much french spoken in Scotland these days), ‘Xanadu Apartments’ ...

and my personal favourite, ‘Merlin Champagne Town’ ... enough said, the list goes on.  

Of course, I don’t mean to come across as simply unkind; I grew up with greasy-spoon cafes and chip shops that had been given splendiferous monikers: Le Petit Dejeuner (fried egg and black pudding sandwiches) and Fernando's (these places the very antithesis of continental gourmands). Employing a decent bi-lingual copywriter might have saved a great deal of sniggering, but this is not the only aspect to consider regarding the cheapening of already cliched branding and graphic design styling. 

POLISHING TURDS 

 What we see is a presumption of what audience will respond to which imagery. This is a fine balance and relies on a creative director or designer being very well tuned into the tastes of the general public right across the social spectrum. 

A few words on materialism:

The notion of exclusivity and high-end, top of the line, limited edition, is the epitome of consumer motivation; wanting more, wanting better, wanting the next big thing before anyone else has it is the name of the game, its what keeps people spending and ultimately consumer economies afloat. The cycle of fashion and consumption in general demands a very short turnaround to enjoy the latest thing because pretty soon it filters down to mass market, becoming mainstream, by which point, if you’re a dutiful consumer, you will be lining up the next bit of flash. 

 Recent cases that highlight this include the British fashion house Burberry. In a recent documentary* the long running battle to reclaim there status as a provider of high-end fashion meant an effort to distance themselves from the decidedly low-end consumer group that for years had been sporting their tartan as part of a uniform that prioritised brand name over the cut or lines of a garment. Chavs, scallys, townies, schemies - pick your moniker, are not the only social strata to express their aspirational status through being covered head to toe in as many designer logos as possible. Crass as it is, there is wide participation in the notion that the better the car you drive, the watch or branded clothing you wear, the holiday resort you choose to be seen at ‘says something’ about you. It’s quite basic really, “I can afford this stuff so I must be doing alright for myself, show me some respect”. 

 Certain brands carry certain cache, mark you out as belonging to a ‘set’, ultimately a refined sense of class. In the case of Burberry, they are expensive well made garments, they are also very ‘British’, so being a fairly prideful wannabe alpha male on the estate in the UK, your image of being a bit tasty, is bolstered by dressing well. Unfortunately the cache is lost when everyone else wants to emulate that and the street is full of it. Incidentally, the more expensive lines from most fashion houses avoid presenting the logo on the outside of a garment - thats no good if you are trying to advertise what label you’re wearing, so sales on the cheaper items, like hats, t-shirts, scarves and so on fly off the shelf. It is a weird paradox for a company: you don’t want to be seen as a low-end generic brand catering to low-end consumers, BUT you’re selling so much, how can you fly in the face of the rules of capitalism and its materialist expression? Anyone who can pay the entry fee can take a seat right? Burberry shifted there styling to a place that made them less overtly branded, so, their client base returned to the discerning British urbanites and the conspicuously branded walking billboards moved to the next (or back to old faithful) kudos-gaining gear. 

The same issue cropped up with the adoption of Cristal champagne by the commercial hip hop fraternity. Songs from Jay-z etal sang the praises of a high rolling indulgent lifestyle, flashing the cash and washing it down with Cristal was truly living the dream. Questions were raised if this was a marketing arrangement, a cynical endorsement, but no, the interesting upshot was that the president of Louis Roederer Cristal coming out to publicly distance the brand from this ‘seedy’ element, stating his product was for a ‘certain set’ of discerning consumers. In response Jay-z and the boys tried to publicly set in motion a boycott - Cristal survives to quench the palates of the world’s bold and beautiful. Maintaining an image of exclusivity is important for luxury brand because if a fashion house lose this they will not be called upon for any of their couture or top line garments, and overall their reputation will decline; this equally applies to sparkling wine. 

 A further point to this is that, on the one hand you can have a product of genuine quality distinguished by certain graphic and aesthetic nuances and attract the ‘wrong sort’ of consumer that may cheapen the elitist cache of the product, on the other hand, lower rent imitators will take the superficial presentation of said product and sit cheek-by-jowl in the brandscape, diluting it and ultimately confusing the consumer. In the eyes of the consumer price is a good signifier of perceived quality, but beyond this, discerning taste, a heightened sense of awareness of elegance and subtlety in design and branding is needed. Increasingly these days consumers are more tuned to the language of design and marketing and so art directors and designers need to respond to this with more sensitivity and not just the default elements.

IN CONCLUSION 

 Why we should care so much whether a luxury brand maintains its elitist customer base is an obvious question, but focusing just on design creativity rather than the moral or philosophical aspect, I feel that ultimately the initial ad example I referred to at the outset highlights great carelessness in the design profession, as well as the sense of taste in the client and end consumer. Knowing what we know, that society, at almost every level it is engaged in seeking greater comfort, quality, it doesn’t matter if the understanding is applied to commercial design and advertising or the conveyance of a less ‘materialistic’ endeavour, we as design professionals ought to inject every ounce of blood sweat and tears into good design that is current, relevant, appropriate but that also carries that little spark of distinctiveness and in itself doing something new, especially if it is to stand out in a world saturated with branding, logotype and iconography. 

No matter whether in the realm of highly adnvanced cnsumer cultures, or in the gradually maturing Asian landscape, we can no longer rely on fro example, a package covered in decorative brocade bordering, or tall intertwining art nouveau glyphs or ‘deep and sumptuous’ tones, to actually contain anything of real value or pedigree. Yes, some things are married to their message, expensive jewellery, gourmet foodstuffs, high end electronics, all need to carry an air of ‘long established’ heritage, workmanship and finesse, and this will involve some exploration of traditional design elements, but these can be blended and evolved with more contemporary characteristics. Black and monochrome palettes with 'a bit of sparkle' may still have its place but this has to be used sparingly and not be relied on as a core theme, design choices like this can seem a bit stale. Pure minimalism is not necessarily the answer either, it can often look like the absence of design. 

The pluralistic heterogenous nature of the modern world means we can explore cross cultural fusions of colour and form, but of course with great care not to get it wrong, as with the examples I have highlighted above. Brand managers, designers and art directors need to be much more savvy about what design choices are made within the context of a global brandscape, grabbing superficially at imagery from outside of your own cultural context and applying it without properly assessing its appropriateness to a message is not good. 

Of course the client will maybe have strong opinions or 'a vision' (however deluded) about their status and relevant client base, in which case we get treated to some gloriously off-the-mark ad campaigns to keep us amused whilst stuck in traffic. 

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