With reference to George Orwell’s view that the more we use simple, or poorer language, the poorer our thoughts become, I wonder if the same can be said about product we use in a consumer society?
Can product also corrupt thought? Can footwear corrupt thought and behaviour and how?
Check out a previous post titled “Designing For Behavioral Change” HERE
Can using lower quality product create a downwards cultural spiral, a lower quality culture and poorer society?
If you think about it, how in a world full of low quality food, fashion, footwear, entertainment, housing, education, can a high quality culture develop?
Have low quality products affected the quality of our social environment as well as our natural environment? Has the quality of our relationships, or our conversation suffered because of low quality consumer goods and entertainment?
I wonder if lower quality product is more conducive to a low quality lifestyle than high quality product? This in turn probably lowers the quality of decision making and consequently creative decisions and product quality…of course branding and marketing factor greatly also.
But I think that any downward spiral can similarly be reversed if we can create higher quality product to promote a higher quality life.
Because if we can aspire and selectively design, or purchase higher quality product we can become more critical, informed and educated.
Except how do we define quality?
Do you think that the products you design help promote a low, or high quality culture?
And how can the high quality products we design also improve the lives of those making them in poorer countries?
Can we also design high quality products that can be afford by people living in poorer countries?
74 FOOTWEAR DESIGN CONSULTING 