Economy

Money

Design rules the economy. The economy is based on something really simple… money. Whether it’s dollars in America, pounds in the UK or euros in Europe, money is a key element for companies and consumers. Because of mankind’s dependence to money it’s important to secure the safety of this payment method. Mercifully, thanks to the unique design of bank notes and coins it’s almost impossible to copy money. Every bank note was designed to contain certain security features such as special ink and watermarks… The design of money actually helps the economic system by increasing the safety of cash payments.

Corporate Identity

And what about the companies that provide us with products and services? All of these companies are fighting for your attention. Every consumer is confronted with thousands of brands every day. You start your day with a bowl of Kellogg’s cereals, you go to work in a Ford, you drink a Coca Cola, you check your emails on Gmail on a Mac…

Companies try to find a place in the consumer’s mind via a logo that can be instantly recognized.  A logo is the starting point of your whole corporate image and it’s meant to be simple and recognizable. Some of the most popular brands in the world have a simple logo that are easy to recognize. Perhaps you should try the guess the logo game on JustCreativeDesign, I’m sure you’ll recognize most of these brands. What I’m saying is that a well designed logo can get you a long way in today’s competitive environment.

Package Design

It’s even harder for companies to stand out from the competition in a store. Several competing products are all displayed on the same shelf. The only way to be noticed by potential buyers is with an attractive package design. Redesigning an existing package can also create new interest in the product. Take a look at this 15 great package redesigns article for more inspiration.

Politics

You might ask yourself how politics could be influenced by design? One of the best examples of this influence is the most recent elections in the USA. In my opinion, one of the reasons why Obama’s campaign was so successful is because of the great design of his campaign. The combination of great marketing and great design has secured Obama’s victory. Obama’s logo is one of the most recognized brands of 2009, even for me (and I’m from Belgium). But it goes even further than this: take a look at his website… doesn’t look half bad eh? The design of his campaign was actually so good that it went viral.

Social Aspects

A lot of social aspects of our lives are influenced by design. Let’s start with the clothes you wear: they were specifically designed to convey a certain message. Your perception of someone wearing a suit will probably be different from someone who is wearing jogging pants and a sweater. Our buying behaviour is often influenced by the social aspect of the product. Consumers buy beautiful products because they want to be associated with this beauty. The design of these products plays an important role in their social aspects.

These are even more reasons why design rules your world. Cars are specifically designed to keep you safe during a crash, user interfaces are designing for user comfort, magazine covers are designed to grab your attention… I could go on like this for hours.

Conclusion

What I’m saying is that design isn’t just constricted to digital art and typography. In one way or another it’s part of our daily routines. Design isn’t always about ‘making things look good’, but also about ease of use, safety, comfort…

I really want to know what you think about this topic: is design really so important in today’s society or is it overrated? Just post a comment and tell me what you think.