Design Risk & Reward

This post will detail my thoughts on the seventh chapter of the book Designing For Emotion.

I really like when the author talked about how there is a risk behind making your designs different.  During the direct mailer assignment I attempted to make my design different from everyone else in the class.  I failed miserably.  But I like how the author said “Though our instincts might tell us that it’s risky being different, the greater risk is in being the same as your competitors.”  I find this very accurate!

I did not like that this is the last chapter and the author never touched on bad examples of emotional design!  The author mentions a risk but quickly glosses over the gamble with tons of super successful examples.  I would have preferred a more balanced argument that shows how emotional design can succeed or fail.