Debbie Millman: How symbols and brands shape our humanity | TED

譯者: Lynn Huang 審譯者: Zoe Chang

Thirteen point eight billion years ago,

138 億年前，

the universe as we know it began with a big bang,

大爆炸創造出今日所知的宇宙，

and everything that we know and are and are made of was created.

宇宙萬物，包含人類 及所有一切也同時創造出來。

Fifty thousand years ago,

五萬年前，

our brains underwent a major genetic mutation,

人類大腦經歷了重大的基因突變，

which resulted in the biological reorganization of the brain.

導致腦部產生生物性重組。

Some scientists call this "The Big Brain Bang."

一些科學家稱之為 「腦部大爆炸」。

Others call it "The Great Leap Forward,"

也有人稱之為「大躍進」，

which I prefer.

我個人偏好後者，聽起來較詩意。

It's so much more poetic.

This is when Homo sapiens began to evolve into the modern species that we are today.

就在那時，人類開始進化成 類似我們現今的現代物種。

The Great Leap Forward activated most of our modern abilities:

「大躍進」啟動了絕大部分 我們現在所知的能力：

abstract thought, planning,

抽象思考、規劃、

cooking, competitive labor,

烹飪、競爭性勞動力、

language, art, music

語言、藝術、音樂，

and self-decoration.

以及自我裝飾。

After the Great Leap Forward,

大躍進後，又出現了一次大爆炸，

there was an explosion of stone toolmaking,

人類在這階段製造出 大量的石器工具，

more sophisticated weaponry

稍微進步複雜一點的兵器，

and, 32,000 years ago,

然後，三萬兩千多年前，

the creation of our first sophisticated mark-making on the cave walls of Lascaux.

拉斯科洞窟的石壁上， 出現了人類最早的圖騰壁畫。

It's not a coincidence that we've gone from documenting our reality

從這點來看，

人類從以拉斯科洞窟的石壁紀實，

on the cave walls of Lascaux

to the walls of Facebook.

演進到使用臉書的動態牆 紀錄生活點滴，其來有自。

And, in a very meta experience,

處於今日這個「泛體驗」時代，

you can now a book a trip to see the walls of Lascaux

你甚至能線上預約一趟 「拉斯科洞窟之旅」，

在臉書的動態牆上 來一趟身歷其境的遊覽。

on the walls of Facebook.

Approximately 10,000 years ago,

大約一萬年前，

men and women began to array themselves with makeup.

男男女女開始盛裝打扮。

They started to self-decorate.

開始裝飾自我。

But this wasn't for seductive purposes; this was for religious convictions.

但用意並非求偶，而是宗教信仰。

We wanted to be more beautiful, purer, cleaner

我們總希望自己看起來 更美、更純潔、更乾淨，

in the eyes of something or someone

展現給我們心目中

that we believed had more power than we did.

擁有至高無上權力的神。

There is no culture

有史以來，幾乎所有的文明

in recorded human history

that has not practiced some form of organized worship,

都存在有某種形式的群體膜拜，

which we now call "religion."

即我們所謂的「宗教」。

Six thousand years ago, in an effort to unite people,

六千年前，因為試圖將人們聯合起來，

our ancestors began to design telegraphic symbols to represent beliefs

老祖宗們開始設計抽象符號，

用來代表信仰及辨視盟友。

and to identify affiliations.

These symbols connected like-minded people,

這些符號把想法 相近的人連結起來，

and they are all extraordinary.

且每個符號都很獨特。

These affiliations allowed us to feel safer and more secure in groups,

隸屬於聯盟帶給人們安全感，

and the sharing created consensus around what the symbols represented.

而透過分享，大家對於 符號代表的意義產生出共識。

With these marks, you knew where you fit in,

這些符號代表了某種歸屬，

both for the people that were in the in crowd

它的重要性不僅只於認同它的人，

and those, as importantly, that were excluded.

同時，對那些被排除的人亦是如此。

These symbols were created in what I consider to be a very bottom-up manner:

我認為這些符號是以 由下而上的方式創造出來的：

they were made by people for people

是人們為了集體所創，

and then shared for free among people

大家共同擁有，免費分享，

to honor the higher power that they ascribed to.

用來對大家所認同的 至高力量表示敬意。

What's ironic is that the higher power actually had nothing to do with this.

諷刺的是，所謂的至高力量 通常都與此無關。

These early affiliations,

這些早期的聯盟，

they often shared identical characteristics,

常常用上同樣的特徵符號，

which is rather baffling

原因還挺令人費解，

given how scattered we were all over the planet.

畢竟人們分散在世界各地。

We constructed similar rituals, practices and behaviors

包括所制定出的儀式、 習慣和行為也很類似，

no matter where we were anywhere on the globe.

即使分散在地球各處。

We constructed rituals to create symbolic logos.

制定了儀式後，再來就是符號標誌。

We built environments for worship.

然後為了膜拜而興建廟堂。

We developed strict rules on how to engage with each other

同時訂定嚴格的規則， 作為彼此互動的準則：

with food, with hair,

從食物、髮型、

with birth, with death,

生與死、

with marriage and procreation.

到婚姻、傳宗接代等等。

Some of the symbols have eerie commonalities.

有些符號詭異地通用性之高。

The hand of God shows up over and over and over again.

神的手一而再、再而三地出現。

It shows up as the hamsa hand in Mesopotamia.

在美索不達米亞， 它以悍煞之手的形式出現。

It shows us as the hand of Fatima in Islam.

在伊斯蘭地區它以 法蒂瑪之手的形象出現。

It shows up as the hand of Miriam in Judaism.

到了猶太教中， 它則是米利暗之手。

Now, when we didn't agree on what our beliefs and behaviors were

每當有人在信仰和行為方面 無法取得共識時，

in regards to others,

if we felt that somebody else's were incorrect,

一方覺得另一方所信的、 所做的是不正確的，

we began to fight,

因此就吵起來，

and many of our first wars were religious.

早期許多的戰爭就是宗教戰爭。

Our flags were used on the battlefield

戰場上的旗幟，

to signify which side of the battlefield we belonged to,

用來象徵我們各自隸屬的那方，

because that was the only way to be able to tell friend from foe.

那是唯一分辨敵我的方式，

We all looked alike.

因為外表看起來都差不多。

And now our flags are on mass-manufactured uniforms

如今，大量生產的制服上

that we are making.

也掛有我們各自的旗幟。

Logos on products to identify a maker came next,

接著，產品掛上標誌 用來識別製造商，

and brands were given legal recognition on January 1, 1876,

1876 年一月一日 商標註冊法問世，

with the advent of the Trademarks Registration Act.

商品品牌開始具有法律效力。

The first trademarked brand was Bass Ale,

第一個註冊商標品牌是巴斯啤酒，

and I kind of wonder what that says about our humanity

我不禁要聯想這是否 透漏了人性的意涵，

that first trademarked brand was an alcoholic beverage.

第一個商標品牌 竟然是酒精性飲料。

Now, here is what I consider to be

這是我心目中第一個

the first case of branded product placement.

品牌產品置入廣告的案例。

There are bottles of Bass Ale behind me

我背後的畫裡擺著的就是巴斯啤酒，

with the logo accurately presented here

瓶上的商標很精確地呈現出來，

in this very famous painting in 1882 by Édouard Manet.

這是愛德華•馬奈在 1882 年創作的名畫。

One of the most widely recognized logos in the world today

現在差不多全世界的人 都認識耐吉的勾勾，

is the Nike swoosh,

which was introduced in 1971.

這個商標於 1971 年啟用。

Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student,

卡羅琳•戴維森是個平面設計學生，

originally created the logo for 35 dollars.

她畫這個商標的酬勞 僅僅 35 美金。

Upon seeing it, Nike CEO Phil Knight stated,

乍看到這個勾勾時， 耐吉的執行長菲爾•奈特說：

"I don't love it

「我不喜歡，

but maybe it will grow on me."

不過，或許會越看越順眼。」

Maybe it will grow on me.

也許會越看越順眼。

But why is the swoosh so popular?

後來這個勾勾怎麼如此受歡迎？

Why is the swoosh so popular?

為什麼這個勾勾這麼紅？

Is it the mark?

是商標本身嗎？

Or is the marketing?

還是行銷的緣故？

And what can we make of the fact

我們又該如何解釋

that the Nike swoosh seems to be

耐吉的勾勾看起來有點像

the Newport logo upside down

Newport 的商標倒過來放，

or the Capital One logo on its side?

還是 Capital One 商標的一部分？

That is not the only logo with a shared identity.

這並不是唯一一個 具有高同質性的商標符號。

This next logo is a logo that has a shared identity

下一個標誌也是如此 擁有多重身分，

with wholly different meanings.

儘管各自代表的意義截然不同。

As a Jewish person,

身為猶太人，

I believe that this logo,

我相信這個標誌，

this swastika,

這個納粹黨的萬字符號「卍」，

is the most heinous logo of all time.

是有史以來最邪惡可憎的標誌。

But it actually has a rather surprising trajectory.

但它其實有個出人意料的發展歷程。

The word "swastika" originally comes from

「卍」這個字原本來自

the ancient Sanskrit word "svastika,"

古梵文的字「svastika」，

which actually means "good fortune,"

它的意思是「好運」、

"luck" and "well-being."

「運氣」，和「健康」。

In the early 1900s, before it was appropriated by Hitler,

二十世紀初，在被希特勒使用之前，

it was used by Coca-Cola

可口可樂把它用在

on a good luck bottle opener.

一個祝君好運的開瓶器上。

The American Biscuit Company prominently registered the mark

後來，美國餅干公司大動作地 將這個標誌註冊了商標，

and put it on boxes of cookies.

並將之印在餅干盒上。

The US Playing Card Company registered the mark in 1921

1921 年，美國紙牌公司

for Fortune Playing Cards.

為其幸運紙牌註冊了這個標誌。

The Boy Scouts used the mark on shoes in 1910,

1910 年，美國童子軍 也把它用在鞋子上。

and the symbol was also featured on cigar labels, boxtops, road signs

除此之外，它還被用在 雪茄、商品印花、路標，

and even poker chips.

甚至撲克籌碼上。

Even the Jain made use of the logo along with a hand of God

就連數千年前的耆那教徒

many millennia ago.

也將它與神的手搭配使用。

These marks were identical,

這些標誌其實都一模一樣，

but with use as a Nazi symbol,

但被納粹拿去使用後，

the impact became very, very different.

產生的影響力就非常非常不同了。

The hand of God,

神的手、

the Nike swoosh

耐吉的勾勾，

and the swastika:

以及「卍」：

they all demonstrate how we've been manufacturing meaning with visual language

展現出數千年來， 人類如何將視覺語言賦予意義。

over millennia.

It's a behavior that's almost as old as we are.

這種行為幾乎是 人類有史以來就有了。

Today, in the United States,

現今在美國，

there are over 116,000 malls,

有超過十一萬六千家購物商城，

and they all look pretty much the same.

看起來都非常相似。

There are more than 40,000 supermarkets,

也有四萬多間超級市場，

and they each have over 40,000 items.

每間都有四萬多件商品。

If you went shopping for bottled water,

光是瓶裝水，

you'd have over 80 options to choose from.

你就有至少八十種選擇。

Since their launch in 1912,

自 1912 年推出後，

you could choose from over 100 flavors and variants of Oreo cookies.

奧利奧餅干有百種以上的 口味和變化可供選擇。

Now, is this a good thing

等等，這到底是好事

or is it a bad thing?

還是壞事呢？

Is a plethora of choice necessary in a free market?

在自由市場中， 選擇過剩有其必要性嗎？

I believe it is both a good and bad thing,

我相信有好有壞，

as humans are both good and bad,

就像人也有好與壞之分，

and we're the ones creating and using and buying these brands.

而創造、使用、購買 這些品牌的正是人類。

However, I think that the question

然而，依我所見，

of whether this behavior is good or bad is actually secondary

探討「這種行為是好是壞」 其實沒那麼重要，

to understanding why --

無法幫助我們了解

why we behave this way in the first place.

產生行為背後的原因。

Here's the thing:

重點是：

every one of our mass-marketed products

所有的大眾行銷產品

are what I consider to be top-down brands.

在我看來都是由上而下的品牌。

They're still created by people,

雖然依舊是由人創造出來的，

but they are owned, operated, manufactured, advertised,

卻是由企業擁有、操作、製造，

designed, promoted and distributed by the corporation

透過廣告、設計、行銷、配送，

and pushed down and sold to the consumer for financial gain.

由上往下推送， 賣給消費者來賺錢。

These corporations have a responsibility to a P and L

這些企業必須自負盈虧，

with an expectation of an ROI

達到預期的投資報酬率，

and have names like P and G and AT and T and J and J.

例如知名品牌： P&G (寳鹼)、 AT&T (美國電信)、J&J (嬌生)。

And that's pretty much the way it's been for the last couple of hundred years:

大致上，過去數百年來 一直都是如此：

a top-down model controlled by the corporation.

一個由企業掌控， 由上而下的模型。

Until 2011.

直到 2011 年。

That's when we began to see evidence

那年，我們開始發現，

of real, significant, far-reaching change.

一個真正的、重要的、 同時影響深遠的改變。

The Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street

「阿拉伯之春」和「佔領華爾街」

proved how the internet could amplify messages

證明了網際網路無遠弗屆的傳送能力，

and connect like-minded people

將具有同樣想法、強大信念、

with powerful beliefs to inspire change.

積極促成改變的人連結起來。

We witnessed a cultural shift via social media

透過社群媒體，我們見證了文化變革，

with hashtags like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter.

#MeToo 和 #BlackLivesMatter 這些大家熟知的標籤。

In its wake, the discipline of branding

自商標品牌規範以來，

has transformed more in the last 10 years

過去十年間所發生的轉變

than it has in the last 10,000,

已遠遠超過了過去一萬年，

and for the first time in modern history,

現代歷史上第一次出現

the most popular, influential brands

最出名、最有影響力的品牌，

are not brands being pushed down by the corporation.

不是企業主導往下推出的品牌。

They are brands being pushed up by the people, for the people,

它們是百姓為了所有人 由下往上推的品牌，

for the sole purpose of changing the world and making it a better place.

唯一的目的就是改變世界， 讓世界變得更好。

Our greatest innovations aren't brands providing a different form

最偉大的創新不是建立 一個提供各種不同形狀、

or a different flavor of our favorite snack.

或不同口味的零食品牌。

Our greatest innovations are the creation of brands

最偉大的創新應該是

那些對我們的生活具有影響力，

that can make a difference in our lives

同時能反映出一個理想世界的品牌。

and reflect the kind of world that we want to live in.

In November of 2016,

2016 年十一月，

Krista Suh, Jayna Zweiman and Kat Coyle

克麗絲塔•蘇、傑娜•茲魏曼 及凱特•柯耶爾

created a hat to be worn at the Women's March in Washington, DC.

為華盛頓特區女性大遊行 設計了一頂帽子。

(Applause)

（掌聲）

This was the day after the presidential inauguration.

前一天是總統就職的日子。

Two months later, on January 21, 2017,

兩個月後，2017 年 一月二十一日，

millions of people all over the world wore handmade pink pussyhats

全世界數百萬人都戴上 手工製的粉紅色貓帽，

in support of the Women's March all over the world.

支持世界各地的女性大遊行。

The hat was not created for any financial benefit.

這款帽子的誕生不是為了營利。

Like our religious symbols created thousands of years ago,

就像數千年前宗教符號的誕生一樣，

the hat was created by the people, for the people

這款帽子是由人民所創， 為了人民全體的福利，

to serve what I believe is the highest benefit of branding:

旨在達成我心目中 品牌的最終目的：

to unite people in the communication

讓有共同理念的人 相互溝通、團結起來。

of shared ideals.

The pink pussyhat became a mark for a movement.

粉紅色的貓帽變成了 一項運動的記號。

In a very short time, two months,

在短短的兩個月內，

it became universally recognizable.

全世界的人都認得它。

It connected an audience in an unprecedented way.

它以前所未見的方式 將人們連結了起來。

It is a brand,

它是一個品牌，

but it is more than that.

卻又不只是一個品牌。

Today, the pink pussyhat is proof positive

今天，粉色貓帽證明了

that branding is not just a tool of capitalism.

品牌可以不只是營利工具，

Branding is the profound manifestation of the human spirit.

它也能是人類精神的一種深刻體現。

The condition of branding has always reflected the condition of our culture.

品牌的環境始終反映出 人類文化的處境。

It is our responsibility

我們有責任

to continue to leverage the democratic power branding provides,

將品牌賦予我們的民主力量 發揮到極致，

and it is our responsibility

我們有責任

to design a culture that reflects

創建一個新的文化， 來反映及兌現

and honors

the kind of world we want to live in.

一個我們理想中的世界。

Thank you.

謝謝。

(Applause)

（掌聲）