In the module I’m working on I learn a lot about empathy and how important it is to put the user/consumers first when working with a brief.
Everything around us is design, and it impacts us in different ways. Like our favourite coffee cup or the social media we are scrolling through.
To be a good designer we need to have empathy and be able to understand human behavior. Empathy makes us more open-minded, learn and explore. It even makes us better at collarborations, in a way where we listen and feel with our collegues. It can change our perspectives and open our minds to new ideas! It’s important to do research and find out what the user need and wants:
- What do people think?
- What makes people happy, emotional, aggrevated?
- How do people choose?
- How do people shop?
- What do people believe in?
By moving someone emotionally with design, in some way, you have done an effective job.
A big part of Graphic design is research and analysis. The creative part begins after extensive research.
In the advertising industry, empathy and emotions of the consumer is a real central part. What makes the user not forget? What makes the user feel deeply?
Here are two examples where empathy and human emotions play a big part of the design:
In this advertisememt for UNICEF they make a big impact on the consumer by using a simple, but effective picture of a baby bottle with muddy polluted water. We instantly feel bad for the children living under theese conditions. Many of us would act by giving a donation to help the children and support UNICEFs work. In the advertisement they also use hierarchy with the text, the word babies and polluted are bigger and catch your attention first. Simple and effective.
This advertisement gave me so many feeling when I saw it, and I first almost didn’t want to use it in my post – I felt so bad inside looking at it. Angry at those who text and drive, also a big reminder why we should not!
The picture of the child lying there obviously dead with a sad face is a really strong message. Most people looking at this would feel a strong emotion, some would maybe even be offended and say they went to far because the advertisement made them feel so badly inside.
A good design isn’t always something that is pretty or happy, a good design speaks to the consumer in a effective way to make them do choices based on the information in the design.
The text used in the advertisement is bold and looks like old computer text/ mobile text which go well with the message they are trying to get out there.
Even though the text is big, the first thing you look at is the child. The focal point with the gradient cold light and the morbid nature of the picture makes this the area you look at first. At least thats what happened to me!
I think that this is a real effective advertisement that makes a big impact.
Credits Photo #1: UNICEF and https://kworq.com – Article about empathy
Credits Photo #2: https://thevisualcommunicationguy.com– article about personal and emotional appeal in advertising.
– CDH
CDHGraphicDesign 
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