When people travel to different places and countries, they buy souvenirs, items with symbols that represent the place. Most souvenirs are cute and pretty. They are basically an essence of that culture. Like how it was described in the reading, there are different variety of souvenirs so they can appeal to different ages and race. And that is how souvenirs can become a brand.
How come souvenirs are always positive? I guess you don't want to sell something that can upset people who are visiting your city. But then I wondered. When there are conflicts between the countries or race, or if the visiting person has experienced culture's sake, would the souvenir still look beautiful to them? That is how I decided on Design Souvenirs + Design noir.
For an example, I picked New York City and made a product from a person's perspective who does not like the city. I drew an eye on a square box. When you peek inside through the eye, you can see the city's cityscape. This is how I joined noir and souvenir. Bright LED lights represent people. The design of the cup is distorted as if someone was squeezing it and its uneven surface represent the person's crooked view on the city. Inside the cup is the statue of liberty and the skyline of the city. I took the opposite direction from the reading.
Presentation PDF Link (Click)
Design Noir from Chloe(Hyunjee) Koo on Vimeo.
