Archetype, Identity & Heroes

As part of a teaching exchange, we collaborated with Sven Vogel at HAWHamburg in developing and delivering a week-long workshop with students in the Brand Design course. The project helped students challenge their assumptions about what constitutes a brand and how brands are constructed, by using design to explore their own identity and myth making.

Research

HAW Hamburg students began their research by selecting 3 Jungian archetypes that they do not think describe their personality. The archetypes they chose from were Explorer, Magician, Rebel, Jester, Lover, Everyman, Caregiver, Ruler, Creator, Innocent, Sage, and Hero.

• Explorer: Desires the freedom to find out who you are through exploring the world.
• Magician: Desires understanding the fundamental laws of the universe.
• Rebel: Desires revenge or revolution.
• Jester: Desires to live in the moment with full enjoyment.
• Lover: Desires intimacy and experience.
• Everyman: Desires connecting with others.
• Caregiver: Desires to protect and care for others.
• Ruler: Desires control.
• Creator: Desires to create things of enduring value.
• Innocent: Desires to get to paradise.
• Sage: Desires to find the truth.
• Hero: Desires to prove one’s worth through courageous acts.

Students created a persona of their superhero that combined their chosen archetypes. The persona described a super power, an origin story, a city of residence, a weakness, and an arch enemy. Students also drafted a list of potential names for their superhero.

Arch Enemy: Slow bureaucracy and paperwork

Super Power: The ability to organize, and at the same time analyze stuff in real-life MS Excel lists (some kind of very, very structured telekinesis).

• at day: charming, funny, outgoing, friendly, caring
• at night: egocentric, wicked, mischievous, rebellious

Synthesis

Based on their visual and verbal research, the students created and refined a wordmark for their new superhero.

Application & Presentation

Students further conceived and extended the brand of their superheroes by designing a costume which explored color, shape, pattern, and accessories. Finally, each superhero was announced to the world by a poster.

The week concluded with an exhibition to showcase these new superheroes.

Workshops and charettes are a useful way to embrace quick decisions and intuition, balance craft and imprecision, as well as celebrate a variety perspectives around a single theme. Short, intense projects invigorate, challenge, and expand design process and outcomes.

Special thanks to Sven Vogel, Ingrid Weatherall, and all their generous colleagues and students at HAW Hamburg for inviting and hosting Q Collective.