In with the old – Marketing inspiration for serious design

It seems everywhere we look at the moment there are students. But then, hey, it is freshers’. And it’s got us thinking. Just days ago we were back in class for XP marketing 101, and this week we’ve been time travelling again for some good old-fashioned inspiration.  

Because, if there’s one thing that marketing should incorporate in any forward thinking campaign, it’s elements of our past. As human beings, we need that link to emotionally attach ourselves to anything in a deep and meaningful way. 

So, we headed into central London and made a beeline for the Design Museum. Where else? One of the best (and permanent) exhibitions is also free – we’re talking about you, Designer Maker User. This rather brilliant display studies the development of modern design through the three interconnected roles of… drum roll… designer, maker, user. 

 Almost 1,000 items of 20th and 21st century design cover the whole shebang of design disciplines, from architecture and engineering to the digital world, fashion and graphics. But one of the most intriguing and research-worthy parts of the exhibition for marketing and design is the featured crowdsourced wall. 

This wall displays more than 200 of the most important objects to Design Museum devotees, which demonstrate the intimate relationships that we have with the everyday objects that shape our lives. So what is important to potential customers? A Bible, a Coca-Cola can, the £5 banknote, a pair of rubber gloves, and a plastic garden chair are amongst this cornucopia of inspiration. 

500 objects were suggested, and some of these came up time and again. The wall shows the ones with the greatest number of hits. Pause for thought, because if these babies stick like glue in our collective minds, how would they affect an advertising campaign? 

We’re not done with the Design Museum yet, as very shortly – 14 October ‘22 through 19 February ‘23 –  Objects of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924 – Today will have its veil whipped off. 

The exhibition will explore design from the birth of Surrealism in 1924 to the current day, looking at classic Surrealist works of art and design as well as contemporary Surrealist responses.  

What intrigues us here is how standout Surrealist design is. It may be Marmite, but it’s never forgotten, and it leaves a dynamite impact. For the right audience, Surrealist design is diamond dust in the business of marketing. 

The Design Museum’s blurb makes us feel quite swoony: “The exhibition will uncover how one of the 20th century’s most influential movements came to impact design through its questioning of the conventional and its commitment to exploring the mind, unconscious and mystical.” Featuring furniture, interior design, fashion, photography, and works from Salvador Dalí, Man Ray and Schiaparelli and Björk, you’d be a fool to miss it. 

Last stop is the V&A, for Hallyu! The Korean Wave. If you think our world hasn’t been heavily influenced by the Korean Wave, then it’s time to exit your cave. From K-Pop fashion to K-drama props and posters, illustration, photography, sculpture, fashion, video and pop culture, it’s now part of our Western psyche, full stop. 

The exhibition tells the story of how “Hallyu rose to prominence in the late 1990s, rippling across Asia before reaching all corners of the world and challenging the currents of global pop culture today.” 

The displays have created a fantasia for any marketing and design enthusiasts, and to put it bluntly, be there or be square. 

These are some serious sources of inspiration in these London hotspots, and if they’ve given you some unique ideas, we need to speak to you now. Hannah Lawry and her mustard MD creative team are a phone call away, and have some amazing opportunities to discuss with you.