Design should provide orientation –
not just in a spatial sense,
but particularly
in relation to values and attitudes.
In terms of personal development, this orientation is assured
by our social environment – by family, friends and acquaintances,
as well as by other people and institutions. All of these contribute
to our cultural education. Using language, images and gestures,
they help us to understand values and behave accordingly.
Brands, too, have a culture, whether in relation to companies
or products. We want to understand them and we need orientation
to discover what they are useful for and which values they embody.
Only then is the closeness created that companies wish to build up
between themselves and their investors and shareholders, customers
and employees, and between the products and the consumers.