Design, culture and consume: A Campana Brothers case study

Globalization can be seen as a new form of capitalist expansion which requires the integration of local economies in a global and unregulated market economy. For large corporations, national elites and people with higher income and education, globalization has brought benefits such as access to technological progress and greater purchasing power. Such economic benefits, however, are beyond the reach of small local producers and low-income population.

From a cultural perspective, the modern citizen feels rooted in local culture, which he identifies with, but at the same time, the communication systems of the global society make this culture surrounded by values ​​and references broadly defined by the markets logic, which imposes a consumerist lifestyle choice.

When abundant consumption desires contrasts with scarce economic resources, a paradox is created, which, in Brazilian culture, is solved by its most typical features - flexibility and adaptability. The aim of this paper is to discuss how that paradox is solved within an area that connects the cultural and the commercial aspects: industrial design. The paper will discuss how design can add value to products and services and turn them into "luxury." To do so, a case study will be presented, analyzing the experience of the Campana Brothers, Brazilian art designers who achieved international recognition for bringing together, based on common and low-cost material, works of acknowledged creativity and Brazilianness.