The Design of Product Image

If a person is being asked to describe what a businessman look like, what elements are included in his style? Most likely it would be a mid-age male who is holding a briefcase or a wallet, wearing a collared shirt with a tie, a suite jacket and a pair of nice pants accompanied with fine leather shoes. Products such as tie or wallet become associated with a specific gender role. From history these products are embedded with meanings but today the power of design can chang their perceived values.

The earliest example of wearing a piece of fabric around the neck was found in Egypt. The rectangular-shape cloth was a very important part of a men’s outfit for it represented social status. However the tie did not become popular until when the French King Louis XIV took up the trend of neckerchiefs. By the 1980s the wearing of the tie has spread through Europe and to the United States. The popular patterns at the time showed themes of the country of origin and loyalty. Gradually a variety of colors and patterns were introduced to the product. Tie became a personalized object for men. It became a representation of individuality.

The importance of the tie increased even more in work settings. It became one of the most essential elements to a man’s business uniform and many companies began to include tie as a part of the dress code. Tie became a symbol for professionalism; it transformed from a personal preference to a basic rule of etiquette.

Wallet is another example with a similar product image evolution. The folding pouch was developed in the 1600s when the first paper currency was in use. Men would utilize wallets to store not only cash but identification or business cards. A wallet was seen as a convenient alternative for men who did not like to carry bags. When the first credit card was introduced around the 1950s, the wallet became even more ubiquitous. Its compartmentalized structure allowed men to place any credit-card sized object in an organized fashion.

Both the tie and the wallet were largely related with male for their related functions in the workforce. These associations have demonstrated how the power of a usage in a specific environment can establish a fix image for products. The question is, may design manipulate these factors and affect its meaning? Yes. In fact, many design brands saw the opportunity in both tie and wallet as a show-off object. By building another layer of meaning, fashion, on top of the existing ones, tie and wallet slowly were transforming to serve a new function.

In recent years the practice of wearing tie to work has slowly fell out of favor. Many workforces today promote a casual-look which does not require wearing a tie. And with the influence of pop-culture, once a symbol for professionalism has grown to become a fashion statement. Although tie continues to be predominately a male product, it is beginning to be worn by women during fashion shows and is applied by many female celebrities. Wallet on the other hand has been transformed by design with a different material and compartments that targeted towards female consumers’ needs. Today it has become a widely used product.

From looking at the history, both products had large association with the male image and were used only by men. They represented status and social value. Design however had slowly blurred the gender distinction of usage. It challenged the product perception and powerfully alters the meaning into a new representation.