Cup Culture

I believe that an important facet of design is that to impact a user, we need to first influence their behavior. As Seth Godin puts it in his book This is Marketing: You Can’t Be Seen Until You Learn to See (2018), we need to create culture, and to assume that the user will make irrational, impulsive decisions.

While going about my day, I realized that, yes, I too am an irrational creature. I feel a strong connection to a local coffee shop in my hometown. But more than that, I feel connected to the culture surrounding their to-go cup. I like the the cardboard sleeve and the spill stopper. I’ve grown to love the pattern on the cup. I relish the feel of everything in my hand.

A London fog is both my motivation and my reward for a productive day, and what I do while I sip dictates much of my experience. I work, read, research, and relax. I love the feeling of supporting a local coffee chain, I know my favorite baristas name, and I leave the drive thru ready to tackle whatever lies ahead. I feel like a part of a special, local community.

In a way, I feel as if I have “pavloved” myself. But in reality, my behavior is a result of successful design and marketing.

Touché, Satellite Coffee, touché.