ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a historic perspective on some of the changes that have happened in both branding and design. The modernist branding paradigm from the 1920s is built on two pillars: abstraction and cultural engineering'. The research and development department comes up with an idea, the product is manufactured and at the end of the product development phase the marketing and branding activities add value' to the product. Branding becomes a dynamic exchange, with multiple stakeholders, that is centred on values. The product will play an important role in the dialogue the company has with its consumers. In this dialogue, product design can communicate both the past and the future. Just like brand theories, design theories can be divided into the categories modernist and post-modernist. There are differences between how American and European designers work. American designers identified the valuable role design plays in a commercial context before their European counterparts did.
