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Identity affirmation through `signature style': A study of toy car designers

Graduate School of Management, University of California, Davis, kdelsbach{at}ucdavis.edu

I describe findings from a qualitative study of toy car designers that shows how creative workers may develop and express `signature styles' through their work. The display of these signature styles — that were not advertised, stamped on products, or even recognized in official corporate marketing communications — allowed designers to affirm their creative, professional identities while designing commodity products within the practical constraints of a corporate context. Findings further revealed that creative workers used signature styles, primarily, to affirm the identity categorizations of `idealistic' and `independent'. I discuss how these findings extend our understanding of `identity work' among creative workers, and may improve our ability to effectively manage these workers in corporate settings.

Key Words: creativity • design • identity management • individual identity • signature style

Human Relations, Vol. 62, No. 7, 1041-1072 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0018726709335538


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