Type Private Website www.despair.com Founded 1998 Motto - | Area served International Founder E.L. Kersten CEO Justin Sewell (Mar 1998–) Headquarters Austin | |
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Key people E.L. Kersten, Ph.D. (co-founder) Products "Demotivators": Posters, calendars, misc. Profiles | ||
Despair inc the art of demotivation addressing employee complaints
Despair, Inc is a company based in Austin, Texas, that produces posters and souvenirs that satirize the motivational indoctrination common in corporate environments.
Contents
- Despair inc the art of demotivation addressing employee complaints
- Despair inc the art of demotivation on disconfirmation
- Other works
- References
They are known for their cynical and ironic "Demotivator" items, which parody the grandiose imagery and solemn language of Successories, a range of motivational products. Examples:
On the company website, each "Demotivator" is followed by a list of individuals who the company feels would be a perfect candidate for the item (this does not apply to all their offerings). A running gag is that the category "Disaffected College Students" (or a variant thereof) is included as the last candidate in most listings.
Despair inc the art of demotivation on disconfirmation
Other works
In 2000, Despair, Inc. obtained a registered trademark in the USA for the familiar frowny emoticon :-( when used on "greeting cards, posters and art prints". In 2001, they issued a satirical press release, announcing that they would sue "anyone and everyone who uses the so-called 'frowny' emoticon, or our trademarked logo, in their written email correspondence. Ever."
In 2005, Despair, Inc. published The Art of Demotivation by E.L. Kersten, Ph.D., a former professor of organizational communication, co-founder and currently frontman of Despair, Inc. It is a spoof of the management guru book genre and features 18 stylized renderings of Demotivators to illustrate the points. The book comes in three editions including a $1,195.00 Chairman edition. In 2004, the Harvard Business Review published a serious essay on the nature of work and self-fulfillment by Kersten: "Let Me Take You Down".