We are bombarded daily with new products, new technology, new philosophies, and new ways of marketing and selling. Every industry, be it food, drink, or fashion, is trying to stay one step ahead and create the “next big thing.” Everything today is moving in what seems to be triple time. Of course, this is just the natural state of progress and evolution, but set against this there is still so much unhappiness, uncertainty, and fear. Ironically, it appears that in the face of all of this “advancement” people are looking to the past for answers, certainty, and fulfillment. Consumer desire is shifting gears in its quest for a simpler way of life, focusing on a different place and a different moment in time.

Remembering and memories are huge, and this trend is inspiring a movement toward “reconnection” with people, places, and things from the past—be it favorite childhood sweets or retro furniture, the list is endless. Diane von Furstenburg personified “the last days of disco” in New York in the ’70s, and her synonymous wrap dress, alongside every high-street copy, was the staple of last season’s female wardrobe. A savvy trendspotter, von Furstenburg launched her own cosmetics line just before Christmas. She is just one of the clever brand entrepreneurs who is capitalizing on the power of the past to both engage an existing market, and entice a new and captive one.

WALKING—OR RUNNING—DOWN MEMORY LANE
Adidas, Puma, Converse, Kickers, and Hush Puppies are also good examples of shrewd clothing and footwear brands that have jumped on the memories and reconnection bandwagon and are now enjoying a glorious revival with both old and new audiences. But these favorites of yesteryear aren’t just doing what they did, they’re doing what they did and making it relevant for today: the best of the past merged with the best of today and co-created by the consumer. In essence, no design should be 100-percent wholly created by the designer—there should be an opportunity to personalize a product. These savvy brand owners are allowing the consumer to create their own brand narrative and are successfully working together to maximize this new/old zeitgeist.

Today’s technology giants—Sony, TDK, Verbatim, and Ericsson—are very much a part of the centrifugal force that is whizzing us into the future but the latest technology does allow us, the consumer, to have an important, interactive role in how we capture and store new memories and focuses our attention on the importance of memories in terms of connecting generations. These brands are desirable to the consumer as they are successfully balancing function with emotion. To successfully package a product, be it food, drink, cosmetics, or technology, the designer needs to know what’s hot and what’s not, and what the consumer perceives to be bad and good. The brand in question will determine the logical point of balance between emotion and function with the designer using simple structure, clever graphics, name generation, and clear copy to transfer knowledge and desire. Design and desire are very closely linked. In this context, sensory indulgence is leading the 21st century and the technology brand owners are creating desire by exploiting our need to remember in a very visual way.

ABOVE: While the flavor is the most nostalgic aspect of Absolut Vanilia, it is the purity of the frosted white and clear glass design that makes the connection with the past modern and desirable.