Balancing Premium, Performance, Luxury and Social Responsibility

Our speech will showcase projects from Designers working for premium and performance brands.
Creatives who have long been mindful of the apparent contradiction between social responsibility and exclusivity. Most recently, extravagant consumption of resources for lifestyle activities or experiences have garnered more scrutiny.

For example, we now think of space tourism very differently than ten years ago. Prioritizing scientific discovery and the common good are considered more valuable than experiencing a simple thrill ride, considering the sizeable energy expenditure and carbon footprint involved.

Premium buyers today define “the best” as not only the best for themselves, but also the most thoughtful and carefully considered. For the wellbeing of humanity, society and for the preservation of our resources. The best is inclusive and aware, it is “good” in the true sense.

At this point in time, many new technologies capable of mitigating the ills brought upon us by older ones exist. Yet because they are not fully ramped up, they often come with a price premium. Their adoption therefore relies on the part of the population willing to pay a premium price for something special, provided it delivers a premium experience. Once this new “responsible premium” category has been established, the aspirational quality (and its relative scarcity) draws in new adopters and sufficient investments to ramp up. This scenario is now playing out with battery electric vehicles, however this is only the starting point.

As designers, we control the experience and have the opportunity to elevate and innovate in many more categories. Growth and ultimate success depends in very large part upon the design solution, since the technical solution is already here.

In the selected case studies we see examples of design and innovation providing alternatives, expanded choices, as well as new solutions addressing or mitigating problems stemming from the use of technology in the fields of transportation and E-sports.

1、Get exposure to evolving perceptions of value and quality
2、Understand how to steer designs with a positive social vocation toward premium and early adopters
3、Identify opportunities for premium / performance products to include a positive social influence