The Great Tree

[tkwiggins]

One of my heroes is the designer and art director, John Hench -- Disney artist, Imagineer, and an expert on the cultural language of visual symbols.

I've heard the story of how in the 1950's Hench saw the unveiling of Ford's greatest concept car to date. In technology and manufacturing it was at least 15 years ahead of its time, a brilliant assemblage of new power plant systems, safety devices, driver conveniences and structural materials that wouldn't reappear until the Japanese auto revolution of the 70s.

The story goes that everyone in the room was freaked out with excitement seeing the prototype. Engineers fell all over themselves trying to find the superlatives to describe it. All but Hench, who sadly shook his head and told a colleague, "It's D.O.A. They’ll yank it off the market in a year."

He was wrong -- sales of the car died within six months. It was one of the biggest flops in automobile history. The car's name was the Edsel.

Hench later explained what he saw that bummed him about this otherwise great car: from nearly any angle one views the Edsel, its silhouette is reminiscent of a dead cetacean. Some of the most brilliant technology in automobile history had been stuffed into the body of a beached whale, and everyone who saw it sensed it --- even though only a fraction of them, mostly design gurus like Hench, were able to verbalize it. Yet hidden under the sleek lines and slick chrome, there it was -- a smelly, bloated, dead porpoise. Or rather, the long-forgotten memory of one. The Edsel was killed by an emotional tone triggered by association with a visual symbol of unpleasantness -- and no amount of logic, reason or appeal to common sense could revive it.

- Consider a gathering of two dozen people of widely differing builds, ages and dress, talking among themselves on a public plaza. They’re joined from time to time by others, also of widely differing builds, ages and dress. A passerby sees the group but doesn’t know them. He can’t hear what they’re saying. What might he conclude about them? What associations might be triggered in his mind by what he sees?

- Now consider a gathering of people of very similar builds and ages -- in fact all the men are of identical height, as are all the women. All are dressed in identical, dark jackets with the same symbol on the back. They’re talking among themselves in a private place. They’re joined from time to time by others of the same builds and ages, dressed in the same dark jackets. A passerby sees the group but doesn’t know them. He can’t hear what they’re saying. What might he conclude about them? What associations might be triggered in his mind by what he sees?

[Moiety Jean]

But they're not dark jackets though, so we're fine!

::scampers away as if she completely missed the point::
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~Moiety Jean

KI#44727
"There is a certain beautiful danger when a group of geeks get together to entertain themselves." ~Orin Drake

[Durin Mephit]

Fine then. We'll petition to have the logo moved to bright pink jackets.


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Durin Mephit * Member of Guild of Messengers - Unless otherwise stated, opinions are mine only and not Guild endorsed.
rel.to | Marten KI: 59474 | Durin M KI: 11883768

[tkwiggins]

[JohnLynch]

[Kyven]

[Cycreim]

Now imagine them all wearing burlap t-shirts with hand designs on the front of them
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KI: 34353

[Mystlander]

Touché, Cy!

You know we love y'all, tk & JL!
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URU Live KI #: 50911 MOULa KI #11697212

[tkwiggins]

*gets an image of Richard Beymer in a pink tutu*
Now there's a long-lost cultural symbol! ROFL