OUGD501 - Study Task 06 - Consumer Identities

Identity is a subjective concept of how one views themselves, of who one tries to be and which social groups one wishes to be a part of. This identity influences the choices made by that person. People can have several identities and can behave in certain ways to suit a role, for example at a certain time of day, for different social activities such as work, socialising or when with family. When a person comes of age they start to use a variety of characteristics that define themselves such as feelings, political beliefs, visual appearance etc. People use the same characteristics to categorise each other. One of the biggest characteristics that people tend to use to categorise each other, are their attitudes of buying into certain material possessions. People buy into 'superior products' to boost self esteem and a person will naturally aspire to or desire someone viewed as more competent or desirable.

In order to achieve an identity that is desirable we buy into consumer products which affect our identity and lifestyle, this can be seen in body care products, technology devices, food and drink, music, television and film. People tend to use certain products to represent their identity and this can be said with the films people view. A person may watch films because of the image they think it gives them and to identify with social groups they desire to be a part of. A person will interact with consumer products to signal group membership.  However, they may also buy into a genre of film or a director because of the relationship with this 'brand'.

The films one watches can help to contribute to a person's identity. Depending on the person's identity, the overall look of the film and its visual aesthetics will play a huge part to deciding whether or not this identity will 'buy into the film'. It also includes the aspects of the story line, the genre, the actors who take part, the director and the setting. The film will have to consider all of these aspects when thinking about it's target audience. As a designer and an investigator into the role of production design, when designing the props and setting, the films target audience will be considered and this will have to be integrated with the overall film.