Cultural Contrasts: The Problem between Popular Perception and Reality
Design, Marketing, and Popular Perceptions
A Cultural Dilemma…
When we create a website, especially a site that appeals to or represents a certain culture or ethnic group, do we rely on popular perceptions or “reality”? “Popular perception” is a key phrase that means a wide population either subconsciously or consciously refers to a specific person, place, or thing in a specific venue that is often labelled “traditional.” For instance, if I say, “Native American,” what patterns, textures, and colours pop into your head? Did you think about vivid colours, feathers, fringed leather, moccasins, and beads? Or, is your experience different, and do you visualize other patterns, textures, and colours? The latter response is a “specific” reaction based on personal experience and/or knowledge. Which image is correct (politically and otherwise), and does either response matter when we create a website to help a client market his or her identity?
The following information is based on my personal experiences with the Monacan Indian Nation, a Native American group based in Amherst County, Virginia, USA, near Lynchburg. Only recently, the state of Virginia granted the Monacan Nation official Native status and now the tribe is actively pursuing Federal recognition. In this article, I will share how this little-known Native American nation began to alter their image – both in real life and on the Web – to achieve their goals.
Linda Goin carries an A.A. in graphic design, a B.F.A. in visual communications with a minor in business and marketing and an M.A. in American History with a minor in the Reformation. While the latter degree doesn't seem to fit with the first two educational experiences, Linda used her 25-year design expertise on archaeological digs and in the study of material culture. Now she uses her education and experiences in social media experiments.
Accolades for her work include fifteen first-place Colorado Press Association awards, numerous fine art and graphic design awards, and interviews about content development with The Wall St. Journal, Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today, and L.A. Times.
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Reviews
hmmm
the preview made an interesting read, but it made me more interested in the actual indian natives than what it had to do with web development.
RE: hmmm
Hi Dave - Thanks for your comments. I hoped for both responses, actually. Native Americans are in a difficult place, and that's why I felt it wasn't appropriate to hammer on web design. Instead, I wanted to talk about how difficult it can be at times to market a client (including ourselves, if we're small-time business owners), especially when websites are such an integral part of a promotion package for anyone. Web designers (hopefully) are part of that process, because they bring their particular design acumen to problem resolutions.
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