Everyday items have grown increasingly "artsy-fartsy" - or heavily branded, custom-designed, and aestheticized - largely due to a shift toward experiential consumerism, luxury subversion, and marleting differentiation in a crowded market. Those three phrases were hard for me to type, let alone craft, but there I go.
Major brands and design houses frequently turn generic, low-cost, or utilitarian objects into what they want you to believe are high-priced status symbols. By taking mundane items - like grocery bags, pickles or even basic water bottles - and slapping an upscale label, weird material, or exaggerated design onto them, companies blow smoke up your ass and charge you tri[ple. Owning an "artsy" version of a boring object signals that you are in on the joke or wealthy enough to afford expensive whimsy. Either that, or just plain stupid.
When nearly everything can be mass-produced cheaply and uniformly at scale, taste and physical function alone stop being a good selling point. To stand out on a shelf - or an Instagram feed - brands must sell a vibe, a story, or a aesthetic experience.
A plain salt shaker, a coffee mug, or a cardboard box is no longer just a tool; it is packaged to look hand-crafted, minimalist, vintage, or avant-garde so it feels personal. In the end, it's just bread, Fred...
No comments:
Post a Comment