JKR

Ray Ban

It's no accident that jazz and rock ‘n’ roll came from America not the Eastern Bloc. Ray Ban are design champions because they were in the right place at the right time and designed in the right spirit. The time: mid twentieth century. Place: United States. Spirit: a confident optimism, one that danced from the hips.

In the interest of brevity allow me to be broad; mid-century industrial design in both east and west was, out of necessity, simple and utilitarian. But whereas in Russia this was purely about functionality with little need to court consumer choice, in the States, one had to try harder. Bring a little style, a little élan. American design had an innate gift for producing industrial design with flair. It celebrated consumer culture through design as populist as Gershwin or Elvis.

Ray Ban (both Wayfarers and Aviators) are great functional design. But in their streamlined curves, bevels and detailing they also capture the quintessential spirit of America.

They are definitions of their era alongside Zippo lighters, Fender guitars, Coke bottles, Willys jeeps, Airstream trailers and a thousand other classics. They look like someone loved designing them. Unlike their anonymous and uptight Eastern Bloc equivalents.

Most brands have a key or onion upon which 'brand personality' is laboriously defined. In an ironically functional manner. Ray Ban’s design went for a broader and deeper context – it tapped the zeitgeist. It’s an approach Apple has mastered in today’s world. But you won’t find any diagram or planning document that shows you how to achieve this. It takes talent, intuition and feel. Genius, perhaps.

By Silas Amos, Creative Director, jkr. For the full article, see this week's copy of Marketing magazine.