Jan 27, 2007

Shifting Position


I've been thinking in the past few weeks how to position myself and The Visual Field. To be honest, I have no expertise in positioning, but I imagine it's really nothing more than putting your particular approach to design into a succinct, clear message. A little like finding the spoke around which to spin your work.

So after giving it a lot of thought I came to this conclusion:

Our approach to design lies in interaction: the line which turns a passive consumer into an active explorer. Direct interaction is the point at which (the way I see it) a consumer invests him/herself in an experience. And personal investment is invaluable to creating a bond between a brand and a consumer. But wait...I'm a designer...why am I talking about brand experience and consumers? Shouldn't I just be talking about using the right mix of form and material?

Well, I am. Experience is a form and interaction is a material. Take a look at the evolution of art during the 50s and 60s. Increasingly you see a strong movement from paintings, sculpture, drawings, etc. to performance, to experience, to an involvement of the viewer. Interaction is as vivid (if intangible) a design element as color, space or material. Performance art has been deemed as valid a form as oil painting.

So we, as The Visual Field, are viewing our work through interaction. We are "Active Designers" creating "Active Design." The elements of our work are called "Active Ingredients."

"Active Design" can apply to all forms, not just the most obvious. Of course it includes online interactive experiences (websites), but also forms which are usually passive experiences (street posters, commercials, stationary). From here on out, we approach everything from solving the problem of how to bring a consumer to interact physically, emotionally, and mentally.

details developing...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

nice, nice. I'm likin' it.