The Importance of Happy Design
Life’s tough enough without experiencing gloomy brands too! In their Lifestyle Trends report, WGSN identified that interior design will be increasingly geared towards harnessing the power of design to “energise the mind, body and soul” (2021) by elevating everyday moments and fostering joy.
Whilst WGSN outlines how this has particular relevance to interior design, we believe that joyful design can be introduced into any design project, be this interior, graphic or product design (to name a few)!
There’s power in positive design.
After all, we all want our audience to have an enjoyable and memorable interaction with our creative communications.
Yet, what does happy design look like? And why is it beneficial? Well, let us take you through some of our recent design projects to explain…
Grosvenor Square
The team at Grosvenor wanted to visualise their future plans for the redevelopment of Grosvenor Square, and communicate this to stakeholders.
Using bright visualisations allowed the benefits of their plans to be communicated where photography was not possible.
Furthermore, viewers are more likely to resonate with illustration than photography. This is because it sparks the imagination unlike prescriptive “real” images.
Stratford Original
Stratford Original’s campaign aimed to increase community engagement and wellbeing.
Using bold and abstract design enabled their campaign to be inclusive and empowering! Having such vibrant touch points in local business’ and across the streets of Stratford makes for a joyful encounter for all of the community.
University of Leeds + Bradford Teaching Hospitals
We carried out visual note-taking and report design for a super insightful research project by CAER. It focussed on children’s use of digital devices. As the subject matter is complex, it needed to be engaging!
Using illustration improves engagement and empathy from your audience. We implemented colour and illustration to elevate the impact of the report, making it both an informative and enjoyable read.
The project demonstrated public engagement to stakeholders who are looking for evidence-based solutions.
Chester Zoo
We recently partnered with Chester Zoo on designs for their Bumblebee Garden. The scheme has a range of benefits that have been brought to life through our signage.
"I’d definitely agree as a project we’ve highlighted bumblebee decline in the UK and globally, as also highlighted our work (particularly around the zoo) with bees and pollinating insects more generally”
– Exhibitions & Interpretation Manager, Chester Zoo
We can use happy design to promote positive change.
Thinking more carefully about how your audience interacts with design is vital. After a rough few years, people are on the search for positivity, and happy communications are on the rise. So it’s important to keep this in mind!
We’ve reflected on some of our favourite projects that made us smile, our clients smile, and in turn, their customers smile too! Have you considered how to boost happiness with your creative content?
Please get in touch if you’d like to speak to us about creating happy designs, and sparking joy in your audience!
By Matilda Richardson-Brown, Community Happiness Manager at Buttercrumble
