Marketers: Be ARTists

A few blog-posts back I shared an image of the Deleon tequila bottle and the Evian Paul Smith water bottle. These resonated with me because of their sheer beauty, and this got me wondering what’s going on with design these days. Are everyday disposable items turning into works of art, and where is this change and inspiration coming from?

A couple things are going on here.

First off, we’re finding everyday household items are becoming simple and beautiful. The tried and true example of course is Method and their well-designed soap bottles. For the first time people actually want to keep their hand soap on display, and now we have designer water bottles. Would you think twice before throwing out your water bottle if it also served as a flower vase? For consumers this is new. Before this change I would have chucked these items in the trash without hesitating but now I think “Wait a minute, this is cute. Can I reuse it or use it for something else?” In some recent client work I found that some women don’t want their paper towels on display simply because they don’t match their kitchens, but what if they did match?

Secondly, brands are borrowing from other industries. I see this prevailing in the alcohol industry where alcohol bottles are mimicking perfume bottles such as Delone tequila or the recently popular St. Germain. What does this mean for brands and marketers? It’s simple really. In order to stay ahead of your competition you must move beyond your industry and look across the horizon to see where you can find inspiration. If you’re looking where your competitors are (your industry) then you will only be a follower and will find yourself limited and a step behind. If however you’re looking where you competitors are not (other industries of course) then you will find yourself a leader paving the way for others… and who doesn’t want that.

So marketers should be artists. When I say “be artists” what I mean is to design like an artist and think like an artist without any limitations.

Also, don't forget to steal.