Designing the Walkman Designers as Cultural Intermediaries

In this third section, the author looks as designers as playing important roles as cultural intermediaries. They are the source of meaning to cultural artifacts. The artifacts do have a symbolic meaning, and it is the work of designers to bring put that cultural meaning. The cultural intermediaries are described as a group of workers that play an important role in society. They promote the assumptions that people have by attaching the various services and products to a given lifestyle or meaning that will attract customers.

Customers always will try to identify with service or products based on the symbolic aspect that these products or services have. The other is this chapter looks at the organization design in Sony. The designers for this organization are kept closely in touch to the existing cultural trends and practices that target a given segment of consumers. This means that Sony understands. The main design for Sony’s walkman that it had uncomplicated and intuitive controls instead of using large size bottoms. The consumers became attracted to this product due to scratch resistant materials and the Disney licensed shapes.

The author indicates that the success of Sony is mainly attributed to its marketing abilities and gives the example of the Walkman which communicates a wide range of values in a physical form. The consumer product is based on the stenotype that most Japanese have on simplicity, attention to detail and small size. These qualities are explained by de Gay as aspects that make reference to the Japanese cultural traditions and aesthetics as for the case of Zen Buddhism and Bonsai. However, the author indicates that this perspective can be misleading, because just like any other culture the Japanese culture has been influenced by others around the world.

The Japanese culture design is an impact of both the post-war American industrial and the World War Two German Modernism design. The industrialization of Japan according to the author mainly took a new turn after the Restoration of Meiji through the importation of expertise from other regions and sending convoys to other western nations to copy and learn the industrial techniques. Sony has its own Centre for designers who initiate product development. The walkman is an example of a product that was carefully designed to suit the society’s culture and beyond. The marketing of this product saw a major success.

Reference

Du Gay, P (1997) Cultural Studies: the Story of the Sony Walkman, London, Sage Publications

P 62-74.

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