Designing Within a Cultural Context
Design is everywhere. You can find it in the books we read, the movies we watch, on instruction manuals, street signs, and traffic signals. Design is even in the cup of overpriced coffee we buy every day.
A lot of the time, we don’t stop and notice it. We don’t think twice about the designer behind the product or the intention behind their deliberate choices. And we certainly don’t think about how the designs presented to us differ from those in other parts of the world.
Design is used to communicate ideas, relate to people, and represent different aspects of the human experience. And, like many industries, design is heavily influenced by culture. A designer, in whatever capacity, needs to always consider how their audience will receive the work they’re putting out into the world. This consideration is particularly important for designers of marketing materials and pieces influencing consumer behaviors and patterns.
Everything involved in designing, from color, symbols, and language, changes the perception of the design itself depending on the individual viewing it.
The use of color, for example, is arguably one of the most important aspects of design. It can have different meanings for people from different walks of life. In Western societies, white has certain connotations of purity, innocence, and peace. If we think of this color from the perspective of Eastern cultures and societies, white is associated with death and mourning.
These two interpretations of the same color by different cultures are just one example of the importance of knowing and understanding your consumer base. Consider an ad in a magazine for a beautiful white wedding dress. While traditionally worn in Western weddings, a white dress might not go over well in India or China, where brides typically wear red to symbolize good fortune and happiness.
That being said, due to the rapid globalization of contemporary culture, many of these more traditional connotations can change, and it is our job as designers to be mindful of any shifts that occur and adapt accordingly.
The goal of a designer is to create something that will anticipate what consumers want and satisfy their needs by validating their experiences through visual communication without intentionally offending any group of people or culture.
Design is all around us. It is a reflection of our societies, and how people interact with it, in turn, affects future design concepts and ideas.
So the next time you’re walking past a conveniently placed movie poster or a banner urging you to attend an event hosted by an organization, I ask you to stop and look. Consider the cultural factors and context that might have impacted how you feel about its design.
