Hecho en México para ojos extranjeros: uso y menosprecio de referentes identitarios nacionales en el diseño de productos de consumo

Abstract

The Mexican cultural identity, with its pre-Hispanic values and ethnic wealth, is a vast source of conceptual, symbolic and visual references for the construction of communication pieces, graphic identity and packaging design for products and services of national origin, however, this resource is usually taken advantage of only when it is oriented towards the tourism sector, since its use in consumer products is usually considered to be of lower value or quality by the consumer. This analysis aims to highlight this situation, as well as to contrast the creative and commercial potential that can be derived from the use of national identity references in package design and communication. At present there are few cases in which this potential is exploited in the design of pieces that will be distributed on a daily basis in the Mexican national territory, being the most common to find goods that replicate visually and conceptually various graphic tendencies emanated or used in the North American market, having an impact on a limited and sporadic creation of value through brands with Mexican cultural identity, diluting the possibility of endowing them with a high symbolic, historical and communicational value.