Concept Code: How to Create Meaningful Concepts - Softcover

In recent years, the creative industry has become increasingly important due to stormy developments in information and communication technology. The creative industry has also proven to be a trendsetter for other sectors. The development, production, and implementation of meaning and the creation of or contribution to experiences are at the heart of the creative industry.

Concept thinking plays an important role in the creative industry, as it ensures that innovation-focused thinking is becoming more sustainable. In addition to their previous book Concept Thinking, this book mainly focuses on ‘concept action’: the execution of the concept. That makes Concept Code interesting for anyone who wants to develop a concept that stands out and generates symbolic value for a brand or organisation from start to finish.

This book was written by two lecturers at the Fontys Academy for Creative Industries in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and is suitable for multiple audiences. Its most important intended audience is that of students of subjects within the creative industry. Concept Code is not strictly reserved for students of communication and/or creative studies, but also suitable for more eco nomics-oriented studies.

The unique thing about the Concept Code is that it introduces the reader to the world of concepts and their creation in an accessible, inspiring and activating manner and with an international perspective. It challenges the readers to get started on developing concepts with the use of the method, developed by the authors, in which all parts of a concept need to fit: one plus one needs to equal at least three, and preferably more.

VISION, VALUES AND CONCEPT

In order to explain ‘concept thinking’, it is first vital to elaborate on the most important terms related to concept thinking. Previous definitions demonstrate that the term ‘concept’ is not clear, as in our everyday language it is used for a wide variety of things. Sometimes it stands for a rough version of something, but it can also stand for a philosophy or stage leading up to a scientific theory. As a marketing term it stands for coherence between ideas or views. If you look at it that way, everything with coherence is a concept, because behind each object lies a principle, an idea. Think of a cup, a car, a table… After all, you use the object as the maker intended it to be used. A cup does not bring you from A to B and you do not drink your coffee from a car. This book focuses on the definition of concept as a way of thinking, in which differences between ideas or views are summarised at a high level of abstraction. These abstract ideas or views are in turn translated to increasingly concrete levels, in other words: to the awakening concept and the concept carriers.

Imagine you are on your way to Disneyland with your family. Afters hours in the car, you arrive at the park in a cranky mood. A parking clerk checks in with you: ‘Are things all right? Have you had a long journey?’ After some moaning from you, you are kindly escorted to your parking spot. Disney demands that all their employees place themselves in the shoes of their visitors as much as possible, because if you pay attention to you visitors and receive them hospitably, they will quickly forget all about that long and tiring journey. ‘Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy.’ Disney strives for a three-dimensional environment in which the guests are immersed in a story and have fun. Disney wants to create a world in which the guests can physically step into the well-known Disney stories. Each and every day they manifest this vision with their concept. This is apparent from everything the company does, makes, and communicates. Even the frequently asked questions, such as ‘Where is the toilet?’ and ‘What time does the three-hour parade start?’ are kindly and patiently answered by the employees. After all, people that wish to have fun leave their ‘brain’ at home. Employees respond to this. Not only do they tell you what time the parade starts, but also how to get there, and where you can go for a nice bite to eat. ‘When you go to the park, there is no horizon, just Disneyland.’

This chapter will focus on the terms ‘concept’, ‘values’, and ‘vision’. These three terms are an extension of each other and are interdependent. Without strong values, you can have no vision, and without a solid vision, you cannot have a strong concept: the concept will then have no meaning. Moreover, a concept lacks direction when it has no vision, as a vision steers. The values are the markers with which you indicate the direction of your vision. In order to arrive at a thorough understanding of the terms ‘vision’ and ‘concept’, we will therefore start by considering the term ‘values’. What exactly are values and why are they important?