Not only understanding social issues, but being sensitive to the audience surround those issues is a delicate dance every designer must partake in. Brands are built through the success of advertisement execution. And it’s impossible to explain values, missions, and opinions to each customer personally. Designers have the responsibility to accurately reflect these views. Specifically, not only in a way that is memorable, but resonates with the consumer’s emotions.

JC Penny

As of late, several ads released caused an uproar amongst viewers. The hype over JC Penny’s release of the “Hitler Pot” may seem like a ridiculous coincidence to many, but quite frankly, the designer (and marketing team) should have known better. I’m not going so far as to say the design intentionally mimicked the tyrant; but the simple fact that a product is designed, released and advertised without anyone along the line saying, “Hey…that teapot kinda looks like Hitler,” is irresponsible to say the least.

JC Penny responded by quickly discontinuing the product and apologizing for any offenses made. Although, the lasting impact of unfortunate design will likely affect the brand for the foreseeable future.

McDonalds

McDonalds also recently ripped an ad from publication. In Singapore, they released the advertisement below, advertising their newest dipping sauces:

The PSI in Singapore hit an all-time high days after the ad launched. Suddenly the ad seemed far less light-hearted and suddenly extremely offensive. One might call it bad timing, but I consider it poor design choices. Despite the fact that it was indeed poor timing, there was a pre-existing issue. McDonalds was, essential, trivializing and therefore trivializing the health concerns of millions of potential customers.

Whether design mistakes happen from lack of a proper critique or simply a failed attempt at satire, designers hold the responsibility to understand viewers concerns and respect their views. It is our responsibility to understand the potential impact our designs make on the world and continuously be aware of the social context around every project we incur.