Like Me: Our bond with brands

(Brands on the balcony: Trimming hedges to be shaped like brands might seem extreme, but consider the brands you invite into your home every day.)

Global branding firm Lippincott has curated a new exhibition currently taking place as part of London Design Week. Like Me: Our bond with brands uses sculpture and installation work to show how pervasive brands have become in the 21st century and also how we, the consumer, play a part in their formation.

Lippincott has over 70 years’ experience in the brand market, being party to some of most iconic imagery of all time – the Coca Cola Ribbon, the Campbell’s Soup label and the Starbucks Siren. What the company are attempting to convey with this interactive exhibition is to examine the relationship between people and brands.

“As human beings, we are hard-wired to simplify a complicated world around us, believe in things bigger than ourselves, and belong in groups that help identify us,” said Simon Glynn, Senior Partner and Lippincott’s Director of Europe and the Middle East. “Like me will leave visitors with a new understanding of how brand meets these human needs – as well the role they themselves play in bringing brands to life.”

Josephine Chanter, Head of Communications and External Affairs for the Design Museum, also shared some interesting thoughts, saying that, “as sophisticated consumers we increasingly demand more design from our brands and design is seen by companies as a vehicle to enhance profitability. Design connects us with brands, as Trustee John Hegarty says, ‘all information goes in through the heart.’”

07 Inside Lippincott's exhibition(Inside Lippincott’s exhibition at the Design Museum)

06'Becoming' sculpture by Michael Murphy (“Becoming”, designed by artist Michael Murphy specifically for this exhibition, embodies the dynamic relationship between people and brands, asking us to consider the role they play in shaping our identities.)

06.6 Becoming' sculpture close-up view (A close up of the sculpture reveals the many brands that make up the image of a girl’s face. Whether consciously constructed or not, our character is revealed by the brands we buy, reject and believe in.)

12 The Cup (Even though the Starbucks siren symbol has been removed from the cup, one is still able to instantly identify it as a Starbucks demonstrating the power of iconic design.)

14 Like, Love, Subvert, Repeat(Just as brands have power, so do we. We choose what we buy into, embrace what we agree with, and challenging what we don’t.)

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