FORGETTABLE VS MEMORABLE

"What's the use of being legible, when nothing inspires you to take notice of it?" – Wolfgang Weingart

This quote from one of my favorite designers perfectly captures my thoughts on design. If something isn’t worth taking notice of, then what was its point in the first place? While design certainly has varying goals, one of the most important is capturing someone’s attention. Yet, too often, designers and companies are afraid to push boundaries. We fall back on “rules” and rehash the same ideas, aiming to do it “right.” By adhering to these rules so strictly, we rob ourselves of the chance to make something that will cause someone to pause, take notice, and remember it.

Consider the thousands of images we’re exposed to daily: advertisements, logos, merchandise, book covers, movie posters, banners, etc. I’m sitting in my room, and I could probably count 20 different graphics, from logos to band posters. At almost every moment, something or someone is trying to get our attention, vying to live in our minds for just a moment.

The worst part: We don’t remember any of it.

Why would you? Not only do you not want to see ads as you’re scrolling through social media or watching TV, but it’s all the same. And if it’s all the same, there’s no reason to waste your attention on it. So, if the goal of something is to grab your attention and make you take notice, then the best way to do that is to stand out. Unfortunately, the idea of standing out sounds great, but the execution is harder. We like what we know because it’s comfortable. Because we think it works. Everyone wants to set the trend, but no one wants to be the one to stand up and do it. Yet, as the saying goes, “Fortune favors the bold.”

I don’t recall hearing stories about people who simply fell in line. I’ve never watched a movie about someone who was too afraid to do what they thought was right, even if everyone else thought it was wrong.

Do what hasn’t been done. Go someplace no one has gone before. That’s the only true way to stand out—the only true way to capture someone’s attention. So, if you want to be the one people write stories about, let’s make something worth remembering.