personalize - introduction

In direct contrast to the standardization of the Industrial Age, information based technologies allow for infinite variation and promote customized or personalized products to be produced.
Henry Ford’s production of the motor car epitomizes the standardized approach. He proudly boasted that you can have any colour Model T Ford you liked, as long as it was black! Also, his production line churned out an unchanged Model T Ford design for over 10 years. Today this would be a receipe for disaster.
Television is another example of a standardized product with each viewer receiving the same message. In contrast, the Internet allows each viewer to create their own individual channel (website) and view their own path of discovery as they click from one site to another.
In contrast to Ford’s production line, ‘personalization’ has also shifted to the manufacturing arena. Dell computers personalize the manufacturer of your computer by allowing you to select the specifications and then assign a code number to a specific computer that is made specifically to your order.
The symbol we have used for 'personalize' is that of a generic human figure.