The Hidden Language of Design: Unraveling Its Persuasive Power
Design is everywhere, even on cars and billboards. But while we often talk about the aesthetics of design, we don’t always dig deeper to find out how it can both explicitly and subtly persuade us to take a particular stance. “How Does Design Make Us Think?” This unique book brings together hundreds of examples from the fields of industrial design, architecture, graphic design, and product design to show how design can reassure, provoke, inspire, amuse, or irritate us. Through a meticulous exploration rooted in historical, psychological, and sociological insights, the book reveals the profound impact of design on our everyday existence and underscores the imperative for designers to practice their craft with purpose.
A Guide for Designers, Marketers & Everyone Else
In “How Does Design Make Us Think”, graphic designer Sean Adams explains the power of design to capture attention and communicate meaning. The book explores the historical, psychological, and societal factors that have shaped our responses to design, giving clients and practitioners a new understanding of their obligation to deliver well-intentioned design. For anyone interested in how the design of our environment influences our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, How Design Makes Us Think is a must-read for designers, marketers, and advertising professionals.
Critical Reviews and Insights
Dexigner highlights the book’s exploration of how design influences our thinking, stating, “How Design Makes Us Think gathers hundreds of examples from a variety of design fields to illustrate how design can inspire, provoke, amuse, anger, or reassure us.”
Landscape Architecture Magazine praises the book’s focus on sustainable design, noting, “Good Energy” makes it clear that net-zero and energy-positive design is not around the corner; it’s available now.
Foreword Reviews praises the book’s accessible style and insightful content, writing, “Sean Adams takes off the blinders to deconstruct the design process with clear, clean visuals and snappy prose. Reading this book is like putting on a pair of magic glasses, enabling non-designers to decode and critique the hidden messages that surround us.”
About the Author Sean Adams
Sean Adams is chair of the graphic design department at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. An AIGA Medalist and past AIGA National President, he is co-author of Graphic Design Rules and author of The Designer’s Dictionary of Type and The Designer’s Dictionary of Color.
Where to Buy?
This unique book, “How Design Makes Us Think: And Feel and Do Things” is a 256 page paperback published by Princeton Architectural Press on February 23, 2021. The book offers insightful perspectives on how design influences our thoughts and experiences. If you’re interested in the connection between psychology and design, here are a few ways to get your copy:
- Buy How Design Makes Us Think on Amazon to explore how design influences our daily lives and decision-making processes.
- Buy How Design Makes Us Think from Abebooks and discover how design goes beyond aesthetics to influence our emotions and thoughts.
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