By Ben Godwin on March 31, 2010
Just Add Text. (photo courtesy of barunpatro - sxc.hu)
As human beings, we are inherently somewhat stupid – or perfect, depending on your viewpoint. Our evolution has endowed us with a susceptibility to being suckered by cuteness and beauty; in fact:
“Studies show attractive students get more attention and higher evaluations from their teachers, good-looking patients get more personalized care from their doctors, and handsome criminals receive lighter sentences than less attractive convicts.” [1]
“‘A person’s physical attractiveness — the look that they’re basically born with — impacts every individual literally from birth to death,’ says Dr. Gordon Patzer, dean of the College of Business Administration at Roosevelt University. He’s spent 30 years studying and writing about physical attractiveness. ‘People are valued more who are higher in physical attractiveness. As distasteful at that might be, that’s the reality.’” [2]
This concept carries over into every realm of perception; which obviously includes web, print, and interface design: Continue reading “Humans Are Stupid (and Beautiful)”
Posted in Design Basics | Tagged attractiveness, design psychology, evolution, perception, trustworthiness
By Ben Godwin on March 31, 2010
Introduction: Ocular Overload
Note: This post has been slightly edited from the way it appeared on my original blog.
Today’s world is undeniably visual. From the constant barrage of television, to food packages, to the website you’re reading right now – all are designed to draw your attention. Our environment is saturated with imagery; there’s almost nowhere in the U.S. where one couldn’t find some sort of manmade imagery, and there are many places where that imagery is all that can be seen. 
Ocular Overload
With such ocular overload, we learn fairly early to filter on the fly; blocking out the uninteresting or unimportant in favor of the eye-catching or relevant. This is the rub: what is relevant to you or I might not make it past the visual spam-filter of the next person.
Think about it, if you’re extremely interested in the mating habits of the Greater Duckfooted Spindlefish, then you will likely stop and look over any information you encounter regarding that subject, regardless of how it’s presented. This is because there’s not a lot of information about this very specific subject, which makes each piece more relevant.
Politics, government, and the like, are not at all rare. They may be some of the most covered and discussed items on the Internet, or anywhere else.
Even if your site/brochure/tattoo is about a very philosophical outlook or human-rights issue, it is likely that there are opposing viewpoints in abundance online and elsewhere – and they all probably have more money than you. Continue reading “Revolutionary Design: 5 Simple Tips for Matching Your Motif to Your Message”
Posted in Design Basics, Design Tips | Tagged aesthetics, color choice, font choice, ipod, simple, white space