While grocery shopping the other night I was looking for some waffle fries. They have been a long-time favorite of mine. For some reason they just seem to taste better than any other kind of fries. Once when we were deciding what kind of fries to have with dinner we had a choice between waffle fries and regular fries. The vote was unanimous: waffle fries.
In all reality, waffle fries are no different than any other kind. They’re all made of potatoes. You can add any spice to them to make them taste however you want, and whether you add the spice to waffle fries or standard french fries it will essentially taste the same. But, I would still prefer the waffle fries over any other kind (curly fries are a close second). This realization in the middle of the Frozen Foods section made me think: why?
Its The Little Things
As a child, I loved waffle fries because they were different. The shape, the texture. Their shape and texture may very well cause them to fry differently than other shapes and textures of fries. I’ve always had a weakness for things that broke outside of the box. Though everyone has their own preferences, and not everyone prefers waffle fries over standard french fries or other kinds, this still illustrates a strong point for design and how it psychologically encourages people to buy something because of its design.
For any product, house, fashion accessory, promotional piece, website, logo, branding system, or packaging system, there are many little things that can enhance (or detract from) the effectiveness of its design. As with waffle fries and anything tangible, the shape and texture are key factors. A business card with textured, translucent, or oddly shaped paper is highly more memorable than plain paper. Some people choose to not use paper for their business cards at all, but instead use metal, plastic, wood, or another alternative material.
For almost any single thing that has some sort of design, such as the things listed in the last paragraph, color is possibly the most influential characteristic of a design. There are professions dedicated to the research of color psychology. Each color can say something without a single word. Red can show aggression, anger, power. Blue can be cold or calming. And a combination of colors can achieve a completely new psychological effect. For products such as waffle fries, any other color than “potato” would not be advisable, as it would contain a dye and would be even less healthy than fried food is already.
Enough Psychobabble
The entire point of all this is that design can be a powerful thing. It can be used to enhance your product or image, or it can detract from your goals or even harm the sales of your products or services. Design can be the key to your success, or it can be the cause of your demise. Having a professional designer at your disposal can ensure that your company is not misrepresented by the communication of your design. Graphic design is, after all, visual communication.