Brand owners are, of course, always thinking about the audience demographic. And whilst we recognise the increasing brand influence and economic power of the ‘silver surfer’, we also need to think about what we – the brand designers – are actively designing just for the silver consumer? The Baby Boomers became the darlings of the brand design world and we devised a global visual language for them. But are we missing a trick by not looking at a brand language just for the over 50’s; particularly now the design savvy Boomers will soon be coming of age?
We are not talking about reinventing the wheel. There will always be the timeless design classics that are perenially attractive to this – and in fact – many age groups. Think home style and the Eames chair, think fashion and maybe Jaeger or Austin Reed…But, the taste and spending power of the older audience has definitely changed. Many of them have a ‘second life’ aspiration through dating or marrying again or rediscovering life and a new found freedom once children have flown the nest. Ergo, there is a very real opportunity for brands across the board to create and design for a captive, affluent and brand hungry market.
To date, we have only found a couple of brands specifically targeting this sector. Ruby Slippers offers ‘home enhancements for retirement living’ — not just a stairlift company but a consultancy service offering stylish accessories to make life at home a bit easier. . Whilst the brilliantly named The Old Ladies Rebellion is a fashion label devised by designer Fanny Karst who specialises in bespoke fashion garments for the older lady. The scratchy monochrome logo is contemporary and edgy yet retains a certain sense of class, style and originality just like Fanny’s clothes.
It’s not about pigeonholing, finger pointing or making a big deal about age but recognising that there is the opportunity to design well for the ‘best ager’s’ — to inspire rather than offend. But, how is this going to filter down into the mass marketplace and other sectors? Studies report that this audience are more willing to try new things and don’t worry so much about the risks. But, we can not deny that with age come some certain physical limitations. What about food or personal care packaging? More practical and ergonomic structural solutions packaged up in a daring, cool way?
Time to set our sights on the silver.