Good Design for Evil Purposes
I hate to be the one to say it, but Walmart has significantly improved its image in the last year. I personally think that Walmart is an evil, homophobic corporation that oppresses its employees. That said, who can honestly turn down their low low prices? I certainly can’t.
In the past year, Walmart has definitely classed-up its image with feel good television advertisements that are as polished as the next Target advertisements. A change in logo and advertising agency was, in my opinion, one of the best choices the retail chain could have made. Also, it was wise to discard the old ads featuring the smiley face slashing down price tags for “everyday low prices.” Their new ads feature scenes that we can all relate to set to hip background music and shot with lens comparable to Hollywood movie chick flicks.
Good design is certainly working for them, which is something that we should all be wary about. The new polished ads are making it seem as if Walmart is a benign entity. We start to forget that Walmart exploits its employees, undercuts local businesses, bans gay people from stepping foot in their stores and, in some cases, even beats their customers suspected of shoplifting. Their ads may look good, their image may be improving, but we must all remember that at the core of it all, it’s still the same Walmart.
We must all remember that, in the wrong hands, good design could be a very powerful tool.
