The increasing influence of the consumer in branding and packaging places them in a pivotal role in the consumer-brand relationship. The designer is the critical link in facilitating this relationship. Research needs to be undertaken into the culture of consumers for designers to better design for them.

This research project explores how to address that difficulty by using a culture-specific design project as a real-world case study in the researcher’s own design agency. It investigates ways of answering the question of how Human-Centred Design (HCD) can be used to develop culturally resonant and empathic design process.

The proposed Cultural Resonance Design Approach aims to start a conversation in the branding and packaging design industry to stop and think about how effective their design processes are in achieving cultural resonance. This evolutionary approach looks at the relationship between the actors in the design process. The proposed approach into an evolved design process opens up questions into how accounts might be able to leverage this new design approach in client service. From a business point of view, this opens up opportunities to explore how this new design approach can be utilised to achieve higher returns on investment.

The Cultural Resonance Design Approach intends to stimulate the industry to start a conversation looking at a different way of working for branding and packaging. This evolved design process looks at the relationship between the actors in the design process: designer with the user; accounts with creatives; and, accounts with the design process. The proposed approach opens up questions into how accounts might be able to leverage this new design approach in client service. From a business point of view, this opens up opportunities to explore how this new design approach can be utilised to achieve higher returns on investment.