what is globalisation?

 "Globalization, or globalisation, is the process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide. Globalization has accelerated since the 18th century due to advances in transportation and communication technology."

Why has globalisation increased?

- increase in transport availability, such as ships and aeroplanes means goods can be transported quickly and cheaply

- the internet had made communication pretty much instantaneous

- payment systems such as online banking and paypal mean payments are faster and more secure

why is globalisation bad for sustainability?

- transporting goods around the world produces greenhouse gasses from the vehicles used

- cheap labour costs (exploitation) of workers in 3rd world countries means products are cheaper, leading people to buy more

- by moving production to countries with less stringent environmental protection laws, companies can pollute the planet and get away with it

How has globalisation impacted design?

- products being sold in many different countries means that designers have to consider cultural differences and contexts. they need to create designs which can be universally understood

- globalisation and the rise of internet shopping means consumers are overwhelmed with choice, so designs need to be innovative and eye catching

- global cultures are less isolated than they were in the past as we are now able to communicate through the internet and share aesthetics easily. as a result designers are able to take inspiration from cultures around the world much more easily.

"The influence of designers has grown dramatically. That influence is today at its peak and carries with it the capacity to do much good, and just as much damage. As with any profession, the ethical responsibilities of every individual practitioner are challenged on a daily basis. Other professionals—doctors, lawyers, journalists—inscribe their professional responsibilities on flags held high. (And most of them, we hope and expect, act accordingly.)

Designers, I am afraid, are often poor communicators when it comes to explaining what it is they do. It is indeed strange that designers – those professionals often given the responsibility for creating and communicating the critically important and valuable “brands” of entities large and small – are so irresponsible and ineffective when it comes to communicating their own value, their own “brand”.

I think that this serious professional deficiency is rooted in the typical image of the designer, fostered in design schools, which too often shapes and promotes the designer as an artistic, individualistic creative as opposed to becoming a highly-trained professional with ethical responsibilities to society. Correcting this situation requires collective action by the professional design community and cannot be accomplished by individuals alone."

"A can of orange drink takes a journey around the world in design and branding.

Do you fear that the internet and its globalising effect will take away our sense of identity? It is easy to believe that the invasive influence of worldwide connectivity could bring a bland uniformity to art and design. In a bid to explore trends in design around the world, Nuprint undertook an experiment. Taking 12 designers from 12 countries around the world, they asked for the label for a can of orange carbonated drink.

If our fears are to be founded, then there will be none of the diversity of design we have grown used to when shopping in a foreign land. Artists, taking influence from the material they consume in the digital sphere, will offer a similar vision of a can with an orange on the front.  However, barring the noticeable language difference, Nuprint discovered that the packaging design remained distinct to the country of origin. 

Here we take you on a trip around the world, stopping off in six of the countries who offered designs. How will a can of carbonated orange drink represent a national identity?"