Brand As API: Connect Differently
As brands finally begin to deliver on the promise of a 1-to-1 relationship with their customers (through social media, mobile, and data-driven tools), it is critical to develop a new foundation for that relationship. This requires brands to leave the “broadcast relationship” and, instead, build a relationship sharing communication, innovation, and the very product/service itself. Insight into this relationship can be found in the structure, language, and use of APIs (Application Programming Interface). APIs provide a set of rules – a language for connecting to data and services. To remix. To build. To leverage. To extend. Many API calls provide explicit metaphors for the ways brands can connect to customers. Generally, the API relationship provides insights into the role of brands in the customers’ life. This conversation will explore these metaphors, share case studies, and work to build a language for better connecting consumers with their brands.
Presenters
I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Indiana University and my Master of Fine Arts degree from Yale University, earning the Norman Ives Memorial Award. I started teaching at Miami University in 1991, and I’m currently serving as the Co-Director of the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies (AIMS), Director of the Miami Design Collaborative (MDC) and Lead Faculty of the Graphic Design program. I’m also an affiliate faculty member of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design. I was named the Miami University School of Fine Arts Crossan Hayes Curry Distinguished Educator in 2000 and the Naus Family Faculty Scholar in 2008.
In addition to teaching, I maintain a design consultancy, Peg Faimon Design, and I’ve received national and international recognition for my design work.
Additionally, I’m the author and designer of Design Alliance: Uniting Print and Web Design to Create a Total Brand Presence, and the co-author, with John Weigand, of The Nature of Design: How the Principles of Design Shape Our World – from Graphics and Architecture to Interiors and Products, both published in 2003 by HOW Design Books. My third book entitled The Designer’s Guide to Business and Careers: How to Succeed on the Job or on Your Own, was published in June 2009 by HOW Design Books. The Kindle edition was published in 2011.
Sunday, March 11
