A Three-Part Micro Series
Once I wrote my entire first name on a grain of rice. Apart from setting in motion the decline of eyesight that was suspect to begin with, I recall placing the rice beneath a magnifying glass to glean a greater meaning from the grain. No such luck initially but after a power-nap and an Advil chaser, I tried again. Staring that rice down, I considered how something so small could have the capacity to carry a name; that definitive detail you’re saddled with at birth—our earliest brand—replete with the weighty expectations that accompany it.
We know brands; from the shoes on our feet to the crackers in the cabinet, we clamor to possess the latest and greatest. This past July I visited New York and marveled at the boutiques, buses and billboards aflush with designer names and the everyday people who obstructed traffic, drinking it all in. Turn any corner and you will find merchants peddling Gucci purses adorned with polished emblems—spelled G-u-c-c-i-e—competitively priced, and for a moment contemplate:
A strategically placed thumb and a lot of nerve. Could I get away with it?
If you were wondering, the answer is a resounding "No!" Turns out your standards are higher than you thought. The misguided Gucci with an “e” represents the counterfeiters’ convoluted attempt at brand recognition. The five minutes you entertained actually purchasing the purse is your aspiration to experience the iconic without having to live on canned tuna for two months! Consumerist pandering and illegal acts with lengthy prison sentences aside, it’s no accident we covet brands. Just imagine if we put that much thought into developing our own.
