I have
always had a deep respect for and synergistic relationship with marketing. I
understand the importance of strategic positioning and believe good design is
informed design. I love diving deep into the customer demographic, walking a
mile in the prospective buyer's shoes, and listening intently to the
salesperson's insight.
But there
is one thing that I find to be not only a waste of time but a buzzkill to the
creative process: the focus group. Yes, the f-word. It could be redefined in the
New Design Dictionary as such:
focus
groupn. /fŭkūs/gɹuːp/
1. A way
of giving power to people who are highly motivated by: a.) a free lunch, b.) a small fee, or c.) hearing themselves speak.
2. A
means of wasting countless design and strategy hours, and negating years of
expertise by depending upon the opinion of people who either don't know or
don't care.
3. A way
of removing or shifting responsibility for the economic success or failure of
any product, marketing strategy, or promotional campaign because the "focus group preferred it." See also: scapegoat
4. A
highly effective way of killing any type of innovation, intuition, or
creativity in a formal, costly setting versus an equally accurate alternative
known as the dartboard.
5. A
quick means to making a product, strategy or marketing project bland (or in
some cases, worse) in order to appease all who attended or participated. Refer
to example: Pontiac AZTEC
In spite of
its bleak definition, the focus group can be positive and informative depending
on the part of the process it informs. Focus groups are best utilized in the
pre-design process and information-gathering phase. They can provide insight
into who the participants are as a demographic group and what they need and
desire.
Laura Guido-Clark is an expert in the
skin of consumer products--their color, materials, and finish. This is
perhaps the area of industrial and textile design that requires the
greatest understanding of the human heart. Laura has spent her life
studying the always new and always surprising ways that human beings
react to the look and feel of any given product.
Laura is the rare color and finish
consultant whose expertise includes not just textiles but heavy
manufacturing industries such as automotive, electronics, and major
household appliances. This experience has given her vast knowledge of
the raw materials and processes used in product categories across the
board. Throughout her twenty-plus year career, Laura has analyzed the
conscious and unconscious influences that drive buying decisions. Her
ability to translate those influences into prescient forecasting and,
ultimately, into concrete applications of color and finish has helped
companies such as Samsung, Apple, Mattel, and Toyota design products
that resonate with consumers and succeed in competitive markets.
A friend pulls me aside at a cocktail party and whispers secretly, "I'm painting my kitchen, do you have any color recommendations?" He's got a pen out, ready to jot down any paint numbers I might be able to list off the top of my head.
It happens all the time. Not even my own flesh and blood can resist. My
sister phones me from New York. "The painter is here," she says. "Do
you have any color suggestions for my house?" I quickly ask her to
clarify: "Is he there for a consultation and estimate?" To which she
proudly replies, "Nope, he is ready to paint!"
I am a walking Color Physician, writing color prescriptions on the fly. Or I'm a Color Therapist, asked to resolve the "she said yellow, but he hates yellow" story with a color that blissfully unites them in color harmony.
As a professional color consultant, I am often asked to make color a band-aid, and in extreme conditions, perform color triage. I am often brought into the final phases of the design process and asked to revive patients through color recommendations. And yes, I can give sage consultation all the while knowing how much more profound the outcome had I been part of the diagnosis, the treatment, and the remedy.
Color is skin-deep. It is a reflection of what lies beneath and within an object. I believe it is an arsenal, a medicine bag of sorts. As the color doctor, I must kindly remind my clientele that anything considered an afterthought runs the risk of appearing that way. My goal is to educate that a holistic approach has deeper, more powerful and long-lasting meaning.
For now, I am content that progress is being made. My sister now calls me a few days before the painter arrives.
Laura Guido-Clark is an expert in the
skin of consumer products--their color, materials, and finish. This is
perhaps the area of industrial and textile design that requires the
greatest understanding of the human heart. Laura has spent her life
studying the always new and always surprising ways that human beings
react to the look and feel of any given product.
Laura is the rare color and finish
consultant whose expertise includes not just textiles but heavy
manufacturing industries such as automotive, electronics, and major
household appliances. This experience has given her vast knowledge of
the raw materials and processes used in product categories across the
board. Throughout her twenty-plus year career, Laura has analyzed the
conscious and unconscious influences that drive buying decisions. Her
ability to translate those influences into prescient forecasting and,
ultimately, into concrete applications of color and finish has helped
companies such as Samsung, Apple, Mattel, and Toyota design products
that resonate with consumers and succeed in competitive markets.
I have this recurring dream, one that I have had ever since President Obama was elected. I am invited to the White House. As I wait for him, I am feeling both ecstatic and anxious. As he enters I stand at attention, salute him and say, "Mr. President, I am eagerly reporting for duty." Thankfully, I am in full uniform and have been spared the pressure of what to wear. In order to shake his hand, I must put down my heavy weapon.
Our time together is brief, but our exchange motivates me to press on. He tells me how much he appreciates my galvanizing the troops. I share with him pictures of the gleaming public schools, the patterned inner-city neighborhoods, and the pristine homes that we have affected. He is pleased that the new ColorCorps has so many volunteers and has already made a profound difference.
I speak of the willingness of the community to participate--their enthusiasm and sense of optimism when our missions are complete. He looks at me knowingly, understanding the hard work and progress made. Every scrape, brush, and roll is giving people respect.
Just like Alice Waters and Michelle Obama, who planted their gardens, we are sowing seeds of promise and new beginnings. As I pick up my weapon to leave, he smiles optimistically at the paint can, knowing that it holds far more than paint. At its essence, color contains change and hope, two words with which he is intimately familiar.
The neighborhoods are chanting "color...color...color." It is time to mobilize the troops and we are actively recruiting.
What are some good examples you've seen of color enlivening a community?
Laura Guido-Clark is an expert in the
skin of consumer products--their color, materials, and finish. This is
perhaps the area of industrial and textile design that requires the
greatest understanding of the human heart. Laura has spent her life
studying the always new and always surprising ways that human beings
react to the look and feel of any given product.
Laura is the rare color and finish
consultant whose expertise includes not just textiles but heavy
manufacturing industries such as automotive, electronics, and major
household appliances. This experience has given her vast knowledge of
the raw materials and processes used in product categories across the
board. Throughout her twenty-plus year career, Laura has analyzed the
conscious and unconscious influences that drive buying decisions. Her
ability to translate those influences into prescient forecasting and,
ultimately, into concrete applications of color and finish has helped
companies such as Samsung, Apple, Mattel, and Toyota design products
that resonate with consumers and succeed in competitive markets.
Fifty years ago, Barbie pierced PANTONE 219C with her sharp stiletto heel and claimed pink forever in honor of girls worldwide. She rigidly extended her plastic arms and gathered pink en masse--in far-reaching hues and values.
We now have pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness (and the KitchenAid and Dyson appliances to match), CodePink, a women's campaign for peace, and shocking Schiaparelli pink reemerging on the 09/10 catwalks. Pink is used to connote female the way cats spray to mark their turf!
Women deserve representation across all facets of design--from electronics to tools, fashion, home products, and automotive. But that female expression is a heavy burden for one pretty color chip to carry. After all, a little known fact is that prior to the 1920s, pink was for boys and blue was for girls.
Companies that are trying to communicate to a female customer must spin past just the color wheel. There is a new revolution that is about thoughtful design. This revolution is widespread and has staying power. I call this movement a feminization of design and it isn't about the color pink at all, or even about surface. Instead, it cuts right to the heart and emotion of the matter.
Furthermore, this powerful design expression is not exclusive, but inclusive of the male population. This new design language embraces: comfort, meaning, joy, clarity, sensual shapes, philanthropic purpose, and earth-minded mission statements. This new mission provides a soft landing to these harsh times and could never be defined by one color alone.
What do you say, women? What colored products would you rather see corporations offering you? Or do you feel pretty in pink?
Disclaimer: The author would like to state that she actually loves pink, but doesn't want the hue to suffer under the undo pressure of representing an entire gender. After all, there is no one exclusive hue willing to shoulder the weight of the entire male gender.
Laura Guido-Clark is an expert in the skin of consumer products--their color, materials, and finish. This is perhaps the area of industrial and textile design that requires the greatest understanding of the human heart. Laura has spent her life studying the always new and always surprising ways that human beings react to the look and feel of any given product.
Laura is the rare color and finish consultant whose expertise includes not just textiles but heavy manufacturing industries such as automotive, electronics, and major household appliances. This experience has given her vast knowledge of the raw materials and processes used in product categories across the board. Throughout her twenty-plus year career, Laura has analyzed the conscious and unconscious influences that drive buying decisions. Her ability to translate those influences into prescient forecasting and, ultimately, into concrete applications of color and finish has helped companies such as Samsung, Apple, Mattel, and Toyota design products that resonate with consumers and succeed in competitive markets.
I am a walking Color Physician, writing color prescriptions on the fly. Or I'm a Color Therapist, asked to resolve the "she said yellow, but he hates yellow" story with a color that blissfully unites them in color harmony.
Our time together is brief, but our exchange motivates me to press on. He tells me how much he appreciates my galvanizing the troops. I share with him pictures of the gleaming public schools, the patterned inner-city neighborhoods, and the pristine homes that we have affected. He is pleased that the new ColorCorps has so many volunteers and has already made a profound difference.
Fifty years ago, Barbie pierced PANTONE 219C with her sharp stiletto heel and claimed pink forever in honor of girls worldwide. She rigidly extended her plastic arms and gathered pink en masse--in far-reaching hues and values.
Companies that are trying to communicate to a female customer must spin past just the color wheel. There is a new revolution that is about thoughtful design. This revolution is widespread and has staying power. I call this movement a feminization of design and it isn't about the color pink at all, or even about surface. Instead, it cuts right to the heart and emotion of the matter. 
What do you say, women? What colored products would you rather see corporations offering you? Or do you feel pretty in pink?
