Early Postmodernism

"All I want you to think about...is that when people walk through or ride through or have access to anythign that you design, I want tem, when they leave, to have smiles on their faces. Just remember that; it's all I ask of you as a designer."

"Just make them beautiful and you'll appeal to the best side of people. They all have it; all you have to do is bring it out."

- Quotes from Walt Disney from a biography An American Original: Walt Disney by Bob Thomas

These quotes were delivered by Mr. Disney to his designers for his new theme park in the late 1950s. Another story from the book depicts Walt Disney knealing down on the ground and looking up at exhibits under construction and challenging his designers to look at their work from the point of view of a child. It struck me that these are the roots of postmodernism in business although dictionary.com claims the movement did not begin until the 1970s.

As I read these quotes and heard these stories, I saw these ideas as the roots of the philosophy espoused by Gobe. Yet here 40 some odd years since Disneyland opened, many businesses still struggle with emotional design philosophies as emphasized in Gobe's book.

Another idea that hit me was to ask myself where we as marketers are sitting in history. Mr. Disney benefited from being ahead of his time with his design philosophy. Now that we are seeing more influence of postmodernism in the marketplace (although it is not yet pervasive) what is the next movement that will make design even more effective? Should we be already building upon this philosophy and searching for the next level of design so that we can stand out in the marketplace like Disney was able to do? It is a good challenge as I go into the work place in a few months to never be complacent in my approach toward designs to keep my company ahead of the curve and help to distinguish it in the marketplace.