designing meaning

products can be designed with an intentional meaning and identity. designers can have a specific identity and meaning of a product in mind when they design it. products such as gilette’s venus line which features razors for women. when designing these products, gilette takes into account every aspect of the shaving experience for women. the venus products were designed specifically for how and where women shave. the ergonomically designed rubber handles give a better grip when wet in the shower. different configurations of blades and blade housings take into account for different skin types, and also the desired after effect. aesthetically, these products also take on a much more feminine appearance than those designed for males. soft colors and smooth lines reflect feminine aspects and create appeal for the targeted user group. this design process proves that products can be and are sometimes designed with a very gender specific identity in mind.

Although products may be designed with a specific identity and meaning, that may or may not contribute to the final identity of the product that is created by the user. Sure, a razor may be designed with feminine colors and functions that serve the female specifically, but a male could easily take the same product and use it for their everyday use as well. There is nothing a designer can do to lock down the identity and meaning of a product and set it in stone. it may be intentional in the design, but the end product identity is all up to the user.  especially in today’s society, where almost all forms of the norm have been challenged and changed in one way or another, a designer cannot expect every user of his/her product to be used in the exact context that he/she had in mind when designing the product. the variation in human personality can create and see uses for products that the original designer may not have even remotely considered.

we are also in a time where material sustainability and environmental factors are causing us to delve deeper into design problems that were not considered as much in the past. this mindset will also create the opportunity to look at existing products and create new uses for them to extend their product life and usability. some of these redesign strategies may involve a recycling of the product, and resulting in the same product being products for the same uses. but this could also lead to the development of completely new uses for products that will extend their life, or take advantage of the materials used and create a new product entirely. 

products may or may not be designed with an identity in mind. it is up to the designer to include this in their design process. but whatever the end result may be of that process, whatever identity the designer had in mind to the product, the user has the final say in creating identity and meaning for the product.