design and our surroundings

Design is applied in our daily life, whether consciously or subconsciously. From a tooth pick to your laptops, from your window to your cameras, from shed to your umbrellas, everything has design, EVERYTHING.

Although, it’s only recently that the concept of designing the environment to promote public safety and health been put into practice.

The process which is used to design anything (including products, surroundings, logo, etc) starts with a need in mind and not the product. Gradually, this need starts becoming more apprehensive and detailed and soon we have a design solution meeting that need, this is called design process.

The founders of NID (Nation institute of design) Charles and Ray Eames who made some of the world’s major contributions in modern architecture and furniture, were one of the first to acknowledge this process. It’s believed that great spaces reflect the people who inhabit them.

Every surrounding has different impacts on different people. Hospitals use the color green or blue, because it calms most of the people down and keeps the patient from getting nervous. However if a person has a chronic disease, he will associate that color with hospital and it will automatically make him nauseous. Brand like bisleri, Aquafina and himalya, use refreshing colors for their packaging as the user associates those colors with purity and health. 

One of the best example from our daily life is the coca cola, its fascinating how from the president till our house helper, consumes the same product. However the evolution of their packaging has had such evident improvements in terms of design over the years.

Design is usually implemented when the surroundings require it. Our roads, highways, footpaths, our classrooms, hospitals, offices, etc all have some design element in them which makes it more functional and free flowing. 

Observing design has become a part of my daily routine, even though I want to or not, I end up trying to think what I would to different to improve a certain design or what color palate would I chose to make an advertisement more attention seeking while it also keeps the brand identity intact