Design has evolved significantly in marketing and communication by inculcating viewpoints from around the world. There have been a lot of speculations and discussions around the idea that design brings cultural and intellectual representation. Several factors have made design the multicultural and multifaceted blend it is today. Here’s how these factors have given design the potential to serve as a global medium for marketing.

The Concept of “Universally Good Design”

The advent of Bauhaus art movement propagated a wave of common design characteristics in Europe. Swiss Design, directly drawn from Bauhaus design principles, set the benchmark for typographies and design styles across the world. Whether French, Swiss, Norwegian, or German design; Europe followed the “less is more” notion in post-war designs to give a sense of unified appeal. This gradually came to be revered as the “universally good design”. On the contrary, design outside of Europe had highly differing concepts based on regional beliefs.

Need for Cross-Cultural Design

There was a need to generalize designs across the world, which came to be known as “Cross-Cultural Design”. Cross-cultural design stemmed from Bauhaus design but went on to include design features across the globe. With globalization, there was a need for brands to use an almost similar medium of communication. Thus, universally accepted design styles became the ideal solution for traders to market their products and ideas on a global scale through design. Global markets functioned well without cross-cultural design strategies, but globally comprehensible design catered to omnipresent brand identities, making companies accessible to international trade easily.

Challenges with Cross-Cultural Design

Despite bridging gaps in commercial globalization, cross-cultural design has several challenges with itself. These challenges occur owing to several factors and can be prominently found in cross-cultural design between eastern and western approaches to design and marketing in general. It’s as if the key message and vision gets ‘lost in translation’ in the visual communication process.

Particularism in Cross-Cultural Design

One of the prominent challenges with cross-cultural UX design is that some nations might make a global design, however, with a local appeal. The motive then shifts towards particularism from universalism. An example of this can be Rakuten – a Japanese E-commerce company. Despite Rakuten’s constant efforts, it has failed to reach global markets because of its predominantly Japanese design. Filled with dense menus, congested typography with cluttered whitespaces, and Kawaii elements; the site’s design did not resonate with the sleeker and minimalist Western e-commerce preferences.

This happens due to a sense of pride while creating the design - to promote a fabricated regional glory instead of serving the primary purpose of international design communication. Rather than taking in a combination of cultures involved, this creates another motive altogether. Hence, instead of holding rigidly to particularism, cross-cultural design should focus entirely on being universally relevant.

Cultural Appropriation

An opposite approach to particularism would be to include design styles of other countries, with an aim to project amalgamation of ideals and visions. However, in doing so one might accidentally create culturally appropriative designs rather than culturally inclusive designs. It means when someone takes elements from another country’s design and uses it in a completely different way, without understanding or respecting the meaning. Cultural appropriation happens especially with cultures that have been misinterpreted or marginalized. Even if the intention is not of disrespect, the design ends up misusing, misrepresenting and using the other culture’s design elements for profit. An example of this is when foreign brands or companies, when launching in India, use hyper-vibrant designs with stereotypical graphics like elephants, kings, monuments, or even a poor portrayal of traditional attires of one region in India presented as that of the whole.

Color Psychology

When it comes to visual communication elements, color psychology is the king! Color holds different significance for every culture. One of the main problems with cross-cultural design is that a difference of perception changes the meaning of the design entirely. For example, Red for Chinese people symbolize good luck and happiness. The same color for the South Africans, represents mourning, bloodshed, violence, and sacrifice. Similarly, the color white means purity, happiness, and innocence for the western cultures but symbolizes death and funerals in the east. While adding visual attractiveness, colors sometimes contradict their own purpose because of the differing color psychology associated with them.

Lack of Exposure

A common obstacle with cross-cultural design is lack of exposure to global design trends for a large number of designers. When these designers make an attempt at a global design appeal, their design ends up catering to regional needs; as they are unaware of the tools, concepts, typographies, and trends that the whole world is rapidly adapting to.

The Cultural Experience Interaction Model

Analyzing challenges with design helps in forming long-term and comprehensible solutions. One of the important modes that drive the industry towards solutions is the Cultural Experience Interaction Model or CEIM. It is a framework that sheds light on how users interact with products and how cultural factors influence those interactions. It helps designers across the world understand how to create product design that is both functionally and culturally relevant.

Cross-Cultural Design at SandCup

The name ‘SandCup’ suggests a common understanding of creativity being flexible, impactful, resilient, and omnipresent like sand. As the name itself implies, SandCup employs and glorifies cross-cultural design. With African and Indian designers on board, SandCup hones and glorifies cross-cultural design with a global appeal. Our work and vision reflect an inclusive, authentic, and heterogenous approach to solving issues on a global level, with design.