Design Stories: Exploring Everyday ThingsMain MenuViking Roamer RM-315 RadioBlackberry Bold 9000CGE KE 860 Electric KettleGeneral Electric’s 1966 Mixer Gift SetTorcan 886P Desk FanBaby Champ 5110 RadioCGE Hair DryerNorthern Telecom DisplayphoneAmin Asgari, Jason Taylor, Jocelyn ZinSamson Dominion Ten-Ten HairsetterPedro Amaral, Markiyan Palisa, Maria PerriShayna Adivib7dacecf2514976340c9fee58413be50a837e99dMatteo De Sanctis2c7f0439bc7dbbce394cd0e83390508c4316e0f9Dylan Fleuelling724bd216cf74182c9eb4bf85f4606a9f90300f43Sanyukta Ghag97f13f26df5104f991a5c78bb41d5501520945a0Ipun Kandola03d267ee57ad9e450b2bdf7607c2a096f9e5b707Minjoo Kim49e4f45a5b4fbe8b16e096b51064bd70ed6cdfc2Jessica Lo7d943c8a531bf17a92d4ce73f45508d35571048bSam Loiselleb0bb424f55ffc54d35c4c41f04a27d6f1914a83aLuciana Loucel Morales3d71928b274e19c31fb29bde4fc89cfab59747ebShriya Mujumdar401f34f51ff8386c5fd4b09a5def6038ca96da55Binh Nguyen77159e04ccf5c117d1aafcf7d72182271cfe4379Madeleine North1716571a300e1e377a3f5a2800d66ac1abe953e4Hannah Palmier Blizzardb85a64743cf09ec2b4e0c037a864f93027666ab3John Emmanuel Sanchez33ea7858c1ccddd4c50514af2ce70aadfb85d654Veronika Straka4da98006d10b69194fdb4d8ffa5ee51bb82dc8e6Jersey Louise Stuart51967f8e0c22fbade42e8a48d7cf0a44ab625751Michelle Tieu6e71ec02b710e08ac76005bc08f9bbf8e71f73c6Shane Toyama9b06201b77bf32b849e009b2cbd92a7602c6bc69Kesha Upadhyay31af8fb220a8946dc1166ecfdd2597f5dd8d003cJillian Warneraab1e08d9b244e0aed9e36e52219fd40328c6753Amavi Weerakoon806c26de54e888d00f80819bd6ef5040b78ac4c6Jan Hadlawusers/jhadlaw1e125e7557d6dc997197c765699eef9bff624103
NTD-Image-New Product Concept
1media/Displayphone Scan_Page_09_Image_0001_thumb.jpg2025-03-26T22:41:14-04:00Jason Taylor030ee93401016aaf3ae13606a4c8b68d806a8fe81354Source: Introducing a major advancement in the evolution of the telephone: DISPLAYPHONE, (1981). Northern Telecom, (Catalog No. 3184/11). Canada.plain2025-03-28T00:53:10-04:00Jason Taylor030ee93401016aaf3ae13606a4c8b68d806a8fe8
One of the most prevalent marketing techniques Northern Telecom used was the use of promotional infographics. These materials often featured images highlighting the Displayphone’s key features, such as its integrated voice and data capabilities, its desktop convenience, and its ability to streamline office communications. The use of rhetorical questions was another tactic utilized by Northern Telecom to market the Displayphone as an essential device in the office. Posing questions such as, “Does your telecommunications system give you access to your internal databases?” (Northern Telecom, n.d.) speaks directly to the viewer, making them question whether or not they have the latest or most efficient product for their office needs. Ads placed in major newspapers like the Toronto Star also ensured that the Displayphone reached a broad audience of business professionals who regularly engaged with print media for industry updates and technological advancements. In a 1983 ad slot from the Toronto Star, the use of rhetorical questioning was once again used to target the viewer by asking, “You want to update your telephone system?” (Toronto Star, p. H6). A common theme throughout the majority of the Displayphone’s advertisements centered around creating engagement by making the viewer pause and consider their own experiences, increasing the likelihood that they will feel a need for the product.
Enlarged text from Displayphone ads in the "Merchandise" section of the Toronto Star.
"Major Advancement in the Evolution of the Telephone"
By maintaining consistent visual imagery that highlighted the Displayphone’s practicality in office environments, along with exciting and progressive statements of an innovative future, the company ensured that its target demographic not only understood the device’s capabilities but also saw it as a must-have tool for improving workplace productivity.
