Examples: Stumptown Coffee, Urban Outfitters, South By Southwest Music Festival
History and background: This brand aesthetic speaks to a symbolic need for both
individuality and group membership. Author Norman Mailer helped introduce an early image of
“the hipster” (Sherman 2008). He wrote and published several essays on the topic. Many of these
essays were published in the Village Voice, a New York newspaper he co-founded that explores
the city’s counterculture. Hipster has evolved over time. In the early 90s, beatniks, punks and
even followers of grunge music could be considered hipsters (Sherman 2008). But the current
generation of hipsters is a bit more generic in its self-labeling, and the focus is less on one idea,
purpose, or type of music. Today, hipsters have a counterintuitive pairing of symbolic needs.
They seek both individuality, but also assimilation into the larger hipster genre.
Irony and trendiness are huge components of the hipster aesthetic. Typically, companies
that use this aesthetic are fairly new and they may change their brand aesthetic often, despite
their relative new-ness on the market. One way to understand hipsters is through pop culture. TV
shows like Portlandia use parody and satire to point out certain aspects of this counterculture
group. There are also particular products that are characteristic of hipster culture. Some of these
staples function in an ironic way (like Pabst Blue Ribbon) while others are popular with hipsters
because they align with the stylistic conventions they seek to pursue (such as clothing styles
similar to American Apparel or Urban Outfitters).