I think it was on reading James Dyson’s first book, ‘Against the Odds’, published in 1997, that I was left back then with the feeling of what a schmuck! But I gave the main subject the benefit of the doubt, and thought the writing was at fault, co-written or ghost written by others, or simply my interpretations wrong? I genuinely wanted to believe in a creative force, passionate about engineering and design, bustling with business acumen, totally driven, and behind what will become an incredibly successful brand story. All of which I would commend, many have subsequently been proven as being accurate (and beyond the book, I’ve also bought the product).
Both moving the lion’s share of manufacturing abroad, was it around 2003?, and the recent alleged tax deal conditions and brokering with the UK Government, have raised eye-brows. On the latter exercise, an engineering experiment that failed, cost millions (unlike the collaboration of UCL/Mercedes AMG Formula 1 High Performance Powertrains, which I believe was successful and unconditional), dented the Dyson brand, given the Government faux pas to justify, and presented the consumer with quandaries.
What does interest me, in terms of brand and design (my areas of interest and degree of expertise in) is how the above potentially demonstrates the need to think beyond just your end product and gains (commercial or philanthropic), and also consider how your brand behaves. A great design is a great design, a product with great design and virtue, culture, and community, is a brand far greater than its sum of parts. And will therefore resonate and powerfully appeal to a broad church- success will then likely and naturally follow…
The consumer today (and even more so of tomorrow), is both interested (fascinated even) and aware of more than just your product, and will factor a brand’s ‘genetic codes’ and behaviour into their decision-making and choice. So think full-scale, physically, digitally and your all encompassing deoxyribonucleic acid.