Of course they do!
On considering yesterday’s post, I realize my thoughts have clarified further. It was an email conversation with a friend, with the further addition of Jen’s comment that brought it all together for me.
Here’s what I think:
Of course they know.
Sorta. See, it depends on who you mean by “they”. In my first post, I was conflating two sets of people. But that’s a misapprehension, and when you realize there are two distinct “they’s”, all becomes clear.
Somewhere there is a room filled with designer-types armed with computers, terrific graphic programs… and a wicked sense of humour. THEY know.
Somewhere else, there is an office filled with the marketers hired to promote the product. THEY don’t.
But think about any creative types you know. Do you think, for one second, that Mr or Ms Designer doesn’t know damned well what it looked like? Course they do! Not only do they see exactly what that thing is, they left it in the design because the fun of having zillions of those things… erected… by oblivious parents in back yards across the nation was just too good to pass up.
And zillions of parents are oblivious. The rest of us are just entertained. 🙂
Have you ever looked at the Sociological Images blog? It’s a lot of this sort of thing.
http://contexts.org/socimages/ Maybe you could send them your photos.
Mr. and Ms. Designer are visual types — they have to be, to do their jobs. And presumably they have to make prototypes of the product to make sure everything works out the way they modeled it in a computer program. So they’ve had the same experience as you, watching that thing unfurl to its full glory as they inflated it.
Yes, of course they observed its resemblance to that other impressive structure! And made a few off-colour jokes about it, just as you did. How could they not?
Ok, I just read the last couple of posts and am totally laughing!! I used to read your blog, then for some reason it got deleted and now I found it again! I put you on my blog roll so you won’t get lost again!
Absolutely hysterical. Like you said, of COURSE the designers know. And somehow, it’s even MORE hilarious to think of the oblivious marketers. I absolutely love how witty and insightful your blog is, by the way!