I read an article this week that I found very intriguing, as it addressed a thought that’s been rolling around in my mind for a while, but I haven’t seen any “proof” for what I was thinking. As a design professional, I am interested in the environment around me and you (as the client), and how it affects us as individuals. Whether or not we would like to admit it, we are products of that environment and are influenced by it. As I now have you all on the edge of your seat (…or maybe snoring, but who’s counting), the aforementioned article addressed the idea that design can affect your mental health. Yes, this is very captivating stuff here, and though it may appear that I am getting a bit too serious, just hear me out.
The way a space makes you feel is vitally important to the design process. This particular article remarked on those feelings and how it affects your state of mind, positively or negatively. The piece seemed to focus a little more on the negative point of view, but it brought to light an interesting psychological result of the effects of dull, uninteresting spaces. Yes, these sorts of spaces cultured boredom (I know, big surprise). While this may not be “news”, the long term effects of regularly living/visiting/working in these types of spaces (like ill-designed offices) may be. Being bored causes stress, and at the far extreme end of continued exposure to this type of stress, the long term effects can lead to dementia…yikes!
If you think about it, when you are a kid, everything is interesting and the world around you is stimulating and full of color. This promotes excitement and creativity, which is the enemy of boredom (thank goodness!). As you get older, it seems that everything goes from vibrant colors to gray, and we get stuck in the “box of boredom”. So, as design professionals, when we are pushing you outside of your comfort zone (maybe just a little J), we are not just doing this for our health. It’s actually for yours too, LOL!
Let’s jump out of the gray box and into the world of color, relieve stress, and enjoy life!
Design Consultant
Chic on the Cheap
1.866.663.6062
www.chiconthecheap.net