Places through products and products through places: Industrial design and spatial symbols as sources of competitiveness

Abstract

The article explores the ways in which geography and place-based images and meaning are incorporated into products and business models. Such incorporation may be the result of a conscious process of image and identity construction in which designers deliberately exploit local, regional, urban/rural, and national constructions of place and nation. The article examines the consequences of incorporating place-based labels into products, and how geography is expressed in design services as a way of affecting consumer perceptions of products. Place through product and product through place relationships are used by firms to create place-based identities for their products that provide competitive advantage in the global marketplace. This protects niche producers from foreign competition as the identities and value of their products are related to place and quality rather than price advantages. The article distinguishes between placeless products that are targeted at all markets and those that deliberately exploit place-based associations and identities. Firms exploiting place-based associations connect themselves and their products to the traditions/histories/cultures of a particular place. The article is based on detailed in-depth interviews with Norwegian manufacturing companies and designers.

Keywords:

• branding
• consumers
• design
• firms
• spatial symbols

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for comments from two anonymous referees. They also wish to thank the firm managers and designers interviewed in this study. The research has been funded by The Research Council of Norway.

Notes

1. Design can be defined as the art or creative activity that leads to the development of a commercial product (Farstad 2003).

2. http://www.stokke.com/inuse.asp?div=C&na=UK&la=EN&p=Xplory&nr=01&dvd=y (accessed 5 March 2007).

3. Fjordfiesta.furniture is a Norwegian furniture firm, located in Oslo (shop) and Molde (offices). The company was established in 2001 by Pål Lunder and Simen Falck Engelstad to manufacture classic and modern furniture designed by Scandinavian designers (http://www.fjordfiesta.com).

4. Scandinavian Surface specializes in developing ‘patterns for any surface’ (fabrics and wallpapers) (http://www.scandinaviansurface.com/).

5. Originally, Norway Says was an exhibition project that was developed in 2000; the exhibition evolved into the design company Norway Says established in Oslo in 2002 (http://www.norwaysays.com/main.html).

6. For details of these products, see the following websites: heron-shaped lamp: thttp://www.luxo.co.uk/; whale-shaped plate: http://www.figgjo.com/default.asp

7. http://www.fjordfiesta.com/index.html (accessed 5 September 2006).