THE NEW

MUNDANE
a recontextualizing
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
----X
Our team is rebranding the word mundane. We are not redefining the word; we
are instead rebranding the mundane by recontextualizing it. The word mundane
can be defined as “lacking interest or excitement; dull or of this earthly
world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one; ordinary.” It is because of
this definition that the word mundane is so often associated with negativity.
We believe that the mundane is essential because it provides both the
foundation of and contrast for beautiful. The mundane is part of our lives for
a reason and serves an important purpose.

Our innovative rebranding strategy will encourage people to celebrate the

importance of the mundane. There is significance in simple, ordinary things.
If these things were not significant, then they would be of not use. Our
talented team consisting of Jennifer Ware, Kaela Faragher, Kasey Leeders,
Kendall Robinson, Cooper Brooks, and Rita Passaglia will begin our rebranding
strategy by creating a media kit. This media kit will include our visionary
logo, innovative tagline, and digital campaign materials. We will also build
an informative website for our audience to see the significance of the mundane
with the click of the button. Finally, we will encompass all of these design
components into one cohesive presentation on the significance of the mundane
to our audience. 


Consumers often associate the word mundane with a negative connotation.

However, we are here to encourage positive perceptions of the word. While the
definition of the word does not pose a problem, the way that people perceive
the word is problematic. When society hears the words “dull, boring, or
uninteresting”, they immediately form an unfavorable perception. People think
that mundane things simply exist, but are of no interest or necessity to

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mankind. There are many consequences to thinking about the mundane in a
negative light. Things described as mundane are typically overlooked. This
common habit could cause people to miss beautiful, simple, things. Therefore,
without realizing the importance of the mundane people will not experience the
true beauty of life. Our team wants to redirect this cynical view of the
mundane so that people recognize the simplicity, and essential place of the
mundane in everyday life.

“
“It’s not nothin.’”
-Nathaniel A. Rivers, on the mundane

”
ASSESSMENT
----X
The word mundane currently has a negative connotation. Mundane describes
boring people, dull places, and non-events. However, the root of the word
comes from the Latin word mundus which refers to worldly beings. It was
originally meant to distinguish that of the world from that of the heavens.
Human beings are drawn to the spectacular: we focus on the grandiose and tend
to forget the rest. Nevertheless, the mundane is both the backdrop as well as
the building blocks of all things beautiful. The rocks that make mountains,
the grains of sand that make the beaches – those things are mundane, but
without them those mountain and beach views wouldn’t exist.


So how did mundane come to be synonymous with “boring” or “dull”? The story of
the word follows as such:




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 The word
mundane is
born from its
Latin root
mundanus,
meaning
“belonging to
the world,”
and was
related to the
word mundus
which means “a
citizen of the
world”. From
that root, the
“Mundane Era”
was named,
which is
understood as
the beginning
of worldly or
earthly beings
and things.
After that,
from the 15th
century on,
mundane has
come to mean in English “non-magical”. This connotation of mundane is perhaps
the most familiar today. For example, in a standard contemporary thesaurus,
dull, boring, unexciting are listed as synonyms. In a more specific
contemporary context, science fiction fans use the term mundanes to describe
non-fans. The modern understanding of the word mundane shows just how far
we’ve strayed from the original connotation of the word and how beautiful of a
sentiment the mundane really is.


The history of the connotation of the word mundane shows an interesting
progression from “earthly” to “boring”. Mundane is used to describe things
that no one thinks of. It carries a negative connotation that it doesn’t
deserve. Mundane has claimed its rightful place in the English dictionary –
but now it’s time for mundane to have more fitting synonyms and usage in that
dictionary as well. There should be a positive connotation of the word for the
things that surround us even if they don’t always catch our eye. 



The historical understanding of mundane things is that they are insignificant,
and so the word mundane has taken on a negative connotation. But mundane
things are far from insignificant, and mundane deserves a more positive
connotation. This unique challenge is our team’s mission.


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PROPOSAL
----X
Our team is determined to get our audience to recognize that the mundane,
while sometimes overlooked, is a necessary part of our world. We have used
trend analysis as a tool to assess the current perception of the word mundane.
Our findings will be delivered in an engaging 5-7 minute podcast, first
covering the etymology and present contextual use of the word. Then, we will
explore the role humans play as the fuel behind the word’s development, and
how the context of the mundane has in return affected humans. We will
accomplish this by bringing to light missed opportunities within everyday
familiarity. Finally, we will connect our assessment of the trend to our

proposed solution: to re-contextualize the mundane, inspiring appreciation for

the lowly, forgotten, and numbingly familiar.

The primary portion of this project will leverage the design skills of our
team, bringing these ideas to life through a range of media. We will design
and create a media kit which is a customized, detailed set of assets for an
effective marketing campaign. The media kit will include a dynamic logo, as
well as a tagline that powerfully and concisely encompasses the vision of the
project. It will also include media campaign materials developed on an array
of sustainable digital platforms. First we will use Adobe Premier to produce a
video highlighting everyday instances of missed opportunities within
familiarity. Second, we will create an inviting and informative website which
will spark inspiration, encourage reflection, and provide insights into the
value of the mundane. It will advocate for the mundane and prompt a response
by inviting visitors to post photos which celebrate the mundane. The site will
encourage compelling views of the mundane by promoting photos that most
uniquely portray it. Through this platform, users will engage in the process

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 of executing our
vision. Finally, we
will compose a
formal letter
explaining the
intended usage of
the various
components of this
kit, and personally
deliver the media
kit in a compelling
presentation.

The resources and

materials required
to effectively
rebrand the idea of
the mundane include
internet research
for learning about
the etymology of the
word, web-based
design tools (for
example, a Google
template), Adobe
Illustrator, and
Adobe Premiere for
creating digital
aspects of the
brand, such as the
logo and promotional
video, and recording
equipment for our trend analysis podcast.

Timeline:

On May 31st, we will deliver our rebranding proposal draft and on June 5th, we
will submit our final rebranding proposal. 

On June 7th, we will propose our trend analysis draft and we will submit our
final trend analysis draft on June 12th. 

On June 19th, we will show our audience our media kit draft, and submit our
final media kit on June 21st. 

Finally, we will give our final presentation on the rebranding of the word
mundane on June 28th. 



Our team consists of seven people with educationally diverse backgrounds,
including majors such as Accounting, Psychology, Philosophy, and
Communication, which will give us multiple perspectives on how to set the
rebranding of the mundane into motion. A background in Accounting will allow
us to analyze our market and keep our campaign budget managed, an emphasis in
Psychology will allow us to read and understand our audiences, Philosophy has

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allowed us to assess the situation logically as well as with an open mind, and
our skills in Communications allow our team to present this information to our
audience appropriately. A well-rounded campaign is a more effective campaign
because it makes our idea applicable to a wider range of individuals, so we
are confident in our team’s ability to make a real impact on the rebranding on
the word mundane.

CONCLUSION
----X
This proposal explained the impact and effects of the current and past
connotation of the word mundane. Our vision is to bring new perceived value to
the mundane. A common, current belief is that mundane things make life boring
and dull, and that they do not serve a purpose. If everything was
extraordinary our minds would be overwhelmed, and we could not process all the
essential information. The simplicity of minor everyday things and events
allows us to identify when something is truly special. To notice the beauty
there must be the mundane.


Mundane comes from the Latin root mundus meaning, in part, “not divine”. This
negative definition has followed the world throughout time, making the mundane

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unimportant.But without the mundane, life on earth would not exist. The
definition of mundane has gone from “not divine”, to “worldly”, and now can
mean “non-magical” in today’s science fiction community. But this is human
life.

Our full pitch will consist of a trend analysis in the form of a podcast. We
will also create a media kit with the materials and resources we have access
to. The media kit will include a logo, tagline, website, and a full
description of the pitch. As shown from the schedule included in this
proposal, this pitch will be created and finished in an efficient amount of
time, by the skilled seven members of our team. Our different skills and
backgrounds will give many perspectives to the pitch, which makes this idea
stand out from other possible rebranding ideas. 


The mundane is necessary because it provides both the foundation of and

contrast for beauty. The mundane is part of our lives for a reason, and serves
an important purpose. There has been an undue negative connotation tied to
mundane for a very long time, and we want to change that. We have access to
resources and people that can make our vision possible.