A Framework for Identity Design

Identity Design A Framework & Log 1

identities 2

Identity Design Framework Acknowledgement This is an academic project that has been completed under the guidance of Dr. Devanuj K Balkrishan and with the support of the Institute of Design. I would like to extend my gratitude to other researchers who have actively published their work and findings in this domain for public access. A Note Throughout the course of this project, there did not exist a clear vision of the outcome or that of the destination. Although the project started off with a specific question, the boundaries of the answers were unknown. Thanks to all the people who taught me to keep faith in intent, thought and experimentation. 3

Context Identities are inherently prevalent in the world around us. That of people and or- ganisations, communities, religions et al. Identities could be thought of as naïve predecessors & successors of human sovereignties. As identities become more multi-facet- ed, complex and cryptic, they’re prone to creating projections and a sense of their positioning. We start to live in a world of ideas and ideals as opposed to bodies and beings. While identities are vital and existent for an ecosystem, they are vulnerable to the gaze of quick per- ceptions. Identities help see, observe, enable imaginations of and for the entity, and satisfy intrinsic needs to belong and communicate. 4

Identity Design Framework The Bicycle Icon In TamilNadu, school students from a partic- ular category receive bicycles for continued access to school prem- ises and mobility in their localities. This scheme was introduced during 2001 and these bicycles became a symbol of educational priorities. 5

Approach Identity design, as a practice heavily deals with visual information and key- word-based juxtapositions. Although consciously crafted, this purview tends to limit the potential understanding of an entity. Particularly, brand identities have adopted monolithic mannerisms serving well to the visual culture if and only if they manage to become popular by sur- passing the homogeneity. “Competitive branding became a ne- cessity of the machine age — within a context of manufactured sameness; image-based difference had to be man- ufactured along with the product.” Naomi Klein ‘No Logo’ is a book by Naomi Klein that focuses on branding and its political po- No Logo sitioning. 6

1986 Outside of corporate identities, person- al, professional and cultural identities Max Neef encompass much of the vast complexity involved in human life. fundamental human needs Max Neef, a Chilean Economist pub- lished a taxonomy of human needs in 1986. He developed a matrix that listed needs and satisfiers. Without intending to be an exhaustive or deterministic list, Max Neef categorised plausible cor- respondences of fundamental human needs and their satisfiers. He recognised ‘identity’ as an axiologi- cal need that fundamentally provides for a sense of belonging and self-esteem through the means and phenomenon of symbols, customs, memory et al. Identity Design Framework 7

In order to probe into the nature and anatomy of identities, a few case studies were completed and synthesised. Parallelly, means of engaging with iden- tities were also being explored with the lenses of embodied interactions. 8

07 Artefactual & Anecdotal cases Representations & 04 Phenomenon-based cases 02 Conceptual Backgrounds Identity Design Framework 9

Germany before & during the Third Reich National Flag Typography Customs Union Albert Speer 01 Free Corps Uniforms: Mounted Jäger and Hussars. Illustration from Uniformenkunde by Richard Knötel 10

Lützow Free Corps Lutzow Free Corps were a voluntary force of the Prussian army that fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Their uniforms were ofen made of makeshift methods with resources available to them im- mediately. Their uniform colours re- flected as the flag for national unity at the Hambach festival in 1832. Eventu- ally the colours went on to be used in the official national flag. the infantry signified the 'spirit' of the society using their production and usage of uniforms as signifiers that on the whole (uniforms) sym- bolise collectivity, common ground and shared intent. Identity Design Framework 11

Typography Fette Fraktur is a blackletter font devel- oped during the 1850's for advertising purposes. The font was used in a vari- ety of contexts, from official government documents to posters and publications. It symbolised unity and created a sense of identity for Germans owing to its or- nate nature, unique strokes and angles. It established a sense of superiority and sovereignty of the Nazi. However, the association of this font with the atroci- ties of the Nazi regime has led to its dis- use in modern typography, and serves as a reminder of the power of design in shaping cultural and national identity. Typography has a complex nature. German Army’s official magazine It's a composite of meaning and (image courtesy of the William Ready Division of Archives characters made of form with their and Research Collections, McMaster University Library) own associations. 02 12

Blackletter fonts were used to signal The German Identity was nascent until ‘Germanness’ in spirit. The great dichot- late 1800s and Fraktur Fonts became a omy of blackletter fonts lie in their po- unifying entity for the Germans. When tential to symbolize and evoke two very Napolean invaded Germany, Fraktur distinct emotive states, representation of turned out to be more strongly knit with German Culture and Fascist histories. the German Identity as the French had their Roman letters. Nuremberg Laws (Nürnberger Gesetze) of 1935 Racial status and permitted relationships Identity Design Framework 13

Deutscher Zollverein The Deutscher Zollverein was the Ger- man customs association that united many German states in 1834. It helped promote industrialization by break- ing trade barriers through reduction of intergovernmental tariff. While some states were supportive, some states remained passive. It played a significant role in shaping the German identity by promoting econom- ic integration and cooperation among the various states. 03 14

150 years of the German Zollverein The customs union increased the polarising ability of observing identity in Germany. Principalities that participated actively were setting the agendas and were perceived as pro-industrialists whereas the rest were thought of differently upon establishment and maintenance of high tariff policies. Identity Design Framework 15

Albert Speer VOLKSHALLE’S Albert Speer was a high-ranking Nazi official and architect. Speer's vision for Germany embodied Nazi ideals including racial purity and superiority. He was responsible for the production of war ammunition during WWII. He left a complex in- fluence on Germany by imbibing ideals of the Nazis and embodying them in certain spaces atemporally. Albert Speer After his appointment as Gener- Bundesarchiv, Bild 146III-373 / al Building Inspector for the Reich Bundesarchiv, Bild 146II-277 / Binder / Capital, he was ordered to develop CC-BY-SA 3.0 plans to rebuild Berlin. He was perceived as an ‘apo- Volkshalle. a dome-shaped monu- litical technocrat’ through ment, 700-feet high, was conceptu- his constructions of himself. alised. Positioned on a grand boule- The popularly known ‘Speer vard on the ‘North-South’ axis. 04Myth’ died later. 16

GREAT DOME Hitler in Paris in 1940 with Speer (left) / CC-BY-SA 3.0 Identity Design Framework 17

Source: The Kaavad storytelling tradition of Rajasthan Nina Sabnani 18

Rajasthan’s Kaavad Katha ‘Kaavad Banchana’ is a form of storytelling in Rajasthan. The practice uses a wooden shrine crafted named ‘Kaavad’ to tell stories about epics and the pu- ranas. The Kaavadiya Bhats/ Ravvs are the storytellers and they’re also referred to as caste genealogists for their perfor- mances on stories of families. Identity Design Framework 19

Image Credits: D’Source 20

It is an audio-visual experience that has let communities build rituals and cele- brate the storytelling. Listeners consider the art to be sacred and associate with several other deeds. The craft has served an identity to all the people involved in the making, storytelling and listening. The Suthars of Mewar take pride in being the only community to produce Kaavads where- as the Kaavadiya Bhats from Marwar recognise great pleasure in being the storytellers of their patrons and epics. All the three communities' identities de- pend on one another presently. A large part of their affirmation towards their craft and hence their identity is born out 05of a need to preserve and conserve. Identity Design Framework 21

The Suthars & Bhats According to a royal family's genealogist, losing their wealth to a merchant's com- a group of artisans were brought in hon- munity is popular amongst practitioners our from Nagaur to Bassi and were of- today. The Bhats are the storytellers fered farm land and housing. The Suthar who carry the shrine to their patrons. community refers to themselves as chil- The craft is seasonal and during times of dren of Viswakarma, the architect and economic difficulties they're free to take supreme patrons of art within Hindu tra- up other professions. However the pro- ditions. The picturing of the community fession of tellers have historically devel- oped other negative associations. 22

This led the community to be subtle thieves every now and then. They own about their professional identity at home. themselves during the performance and They depend on the donations made by hone their craft. The practice is also patrons. The uniqueness of the stories looked at as pilgrimage for the patrons associated with the Suthar community and the storytellers where in a devotee offers an anchor for them to remain in does not go to the temple for the deity, the profession. The Bhats' hesitant as- the deity arrives to the devotee. soication with their identity is very util- itarian owing to them being referred as Identity Design Framework 06 23

“When one perceives actors as if they were isolate bearers of agency, one misses out on the web of relations that is the genuine source of agency.” Croce, M., Margoni, E. How Does an Entity Acquire Identity? Reassembling Relativistic Physics with Actor-Network Theory. True agency of an entity roots from the relations maintained and embodied by the entity. As opposed to constructing the positionality of an entity in a society in order to carve agency, this idea sug- gests making use of the composite of the causation, vision and the present of the identity. 26

Haecceity Haecceity refers to the distinct property Irreducible qualities of being a particular individual. The con- Universal qualities tention as such faced several arguments both in favour and against. John Duns Scotus, a medieval philos- opher, observed haecceites to be nec- essary for individuation. It led to having an ability to distinguish one from anoth- er whereas William of Ockham, another medeival philosopher suggested that substances are inherently diverse and no exteral quality or feature can explain the distinction other than the mere entity itself. ‘THISNESS’ Quiddity refers to the universal parame- ters or qualities that make an individual Haecceity entity what it is by its shared properties. ‘WHATNESS’ Quiddity Quiddity 27 Identity Design Framework

Francis Galton, small multiple Representations as important diagrams visualizing weather conditions on each day during the month of December 1861. 28

components of an Identity Identity Design Framework 29

Representations are perceivable man- ifestations of a concept. Identities, if observed as a whole whose parts are greater than the sum, they can then be thought of in terms of their parts. Identi- ties can be thought of in virtues of their representations. In the history of sciences and technolo- The Mandelbrot Set gy, several notations, symbols and other kinds of expressions have become im- bibed in how their indicative concepts have been thought of as. If scientific development can be roughly mapped on a fractalising figure, each node could potentially equate to the invention of a novel representation for various concepts 30

Wilhelm Leibniz developed compre- hensive notations for concepts of calculus during 1965. Although his logical makeup and reasoning is dif- ferent from what’s in use today, his conceptions of integral as the sum of infinite number of rectangles and the inverse relationship. His interest in form precise logical symbolisms significantly affected developments in mathematics and physics. Identity Design Framework 31

William Playfair In 1786, Playfair developed a kind of data This was one of the first recorded data graphics which plotted time on one di- graphics. It was published in Commeri- mension and wealth measured in the cal and Political Atlas. Playfair’s innova- other. This recorded the exports and im- tive spirit was led by few plotted repre- ports to and from Denmark and Norway sentations made earlier and the lack of between 1780 and 1786. data for precise conclusions. 32

The development and design of novelties to represent concepts, ideas and ways of the world go beyond their purpose of serving to the identity. They are symbols for the present, indicators of the things they’ll lead to, and signals of the aspira- tions or phenomena to come. Through this vantage point, inventions of modes of thinking serve an important role in the production of knowledge and ideas. Identity Design Framework 33

Germany Connotations, associations and the complex nature of collective identity Delight and satisfaction as a human need and an important component of personal identity Kaavad Katha 34

Novelties Temporality and importance of in Notations new ways of thinking through representations. Evolution of collective identities and their causes. Identity Design Framework Delhi Elections 2020 35

Using these markers, a framework has been developed to design identities & understand collective identities. There have been dichomoties in developing tools and frameworks, however, this documentation is aimed at serving analysis, critique, disman- tling and eventual evolution of the framework. 36

Identity Design Framework 37

Identity Conveyance Entity Indicators / Signifiers Observance Indications / Signified Present Associations Utility Connotations Historical Aspirational Decomposition 38

Recomposition Analogies & Metaphors Distinguishing Features Patterns & Parameters Universal Features Symbols, Languages This framework is a derivate of the essential components and features as observed and noted from the cases present- ed earlier. To design identities, an entity could be decomposed, re- composed and crafted through the lenses listed. They’re not meant to be exhaustive or limiting while offering a foundation for designing identities and understanding existing identities. Identity Design Framework 39

Thanks for reading, should you have any further interest, reach out at [email protected] Kirthana S 40