Design

We don't realize it, but design influences every part of our lives. We are always being unconsciously influenced by the design of objects, a lot of thought goes into the way everything looks.

I made this in 50 min. 

I think there are two types of design, both important in their own ways, but pretty different from one another. Mechanical design is about making things function, making objects more efficient and able to do their jobs well. Visual design, on the other hand focuses on the way a product looks, not how it works. This part focuses on making an object visually appealing.

Both of these elements are equally important and wouldn't be as effective on their own. A product could be flawlessly designed in the mechanical department, but if it isn't nice to look at no one will pay attention to it in the first place. As for the other way around, no matter how pretty an object is, if it doesn't work and serve it's purpose, it's not much use.

When we buy something we take both of these factors into account, but do we pay attention to one more than the other? It would make sense that we would care about the function of a product the most, we want it to be useful, right? Sometimes though, a products visual design can influence us more.

You have probably seen some of these eos lipbalms before, so why are they popular? Because of the way they look, the round visual design is different than what you usually expect. So, the visual design is good, and that attracts buyers. The mechanical design though, is actually not quite as good. A round shape isn't practical, it's hard to fit in pockets and it rolls away easily too.

So if the mechanical design is not as good, why is this brand popular? The good visual design outweighs the worse mechanical design. This same company makes normally shaped lip balms too, but those aren't as popular, because their visual design isn't as good. Sometimes visual design can set a product apart more than its mechanics can.

A recreation layout of an article. 

There are more than one way to portray a visual design though, depending on who the target audience is. Changing the way you present an idea can attract different kinds of people. Compare these three websites, all aimed for different audiences.

This is the NFL website, which generally aims for an audience of men and boys. It's design is darker colors and textures that are supposed to look 'manly' and attract that certain audience. Sephora is a makeup company, their audience is generally woman. Their colors are lighter and the layout is a little sleeker. Last is the Toys R Us website. Because they are targeting kids, this page is brighter and more colorful. It's also more busy with patterns.

Any of these layouts used to target a different audience wouldn't make sense. Imagine the NFL's website using the Toys R Us layout. It would contradict itself and maybe even deter people from going there, thinking it was for kids. By narrowing down their target audience, and tailoring their products design to that audiences preferences, you can attract more people. Design is a simple idea, but working with it can make you ideas stand out even more.