The ONLY Graphic Design Psychology Video You’ll Ever Need!

[music]

There is one aspect or theory in graphic

design that is so important that if

overlooked, the designer would likely

create designs that simply just aren't

good. It's called symbolic interaction

and it stretches across almost every

single area of graphic design. And by

the end of today's video, you'll become

a complete master at this topic. To

preface exactly how important this

theory is, we need to quickly remind

ourselves of something equally as

important. Now, we are designers, right?

We create visual communication for

businesses or brands. But what does that

exactly mean to you? And what does it

mean to me as a designer? Well, it means

our designs need to efficiently

communicate something to an audience in

the shortest amount of time possible.

Now, this could be as obvious as

something being on sale like cat food to

something as nuanced as communicating

empathy or sorrow through a design for a

charity. It's all communication.

So [music] this theory or this principle

symbolic interaction, it actually refers

to a quick and efficient communication

of ideas, messages or brand values

without the need for lengthy

explanations. Everything is just

communicated visually and quickly. It's

taking what graphic design is at its

core and just doubling down on that

notion. And so let me show you some real

life examples of this in action. And

then at the end of today's video, we're

going to test your knowledge on the

content you've just seen. The Porsche

logo. It's quite beautiful, isn't it?

Symbolic interaction has been used on

this design in a very clever way. Now,

take a look at the horse in the center

of the logo itself. And also ask

yourself, why is it there? Now, if you

do some research into Porsche, you will

know the company originated from

Stoutgart, Germany. And that horse is

taken from Stoutgart's coat of arms. But

this isn't actually true symbolic

interaction. Sure, it's a nice little

brand story, isn't it? But it doesn't

actually deliver the message to the

audience quickly. You'd need to do

research and find out about the Stutgart

connection with Porsche. The true

symbolic interaction lies in how the

symbolism of the horse conveys [music] a

sense of power, speed, and elegance.

This appeals to the emotions associated

with luxury and high performance. It

taps into the psychology and aspirations

of prestige all on a subconscious level.

Now, would the Porsche logo work if

instead of the horse, the designer

placed a cartoony graphic of a car wheel

in the middle? No. Now, the story or the

message of heritage, prestige, power,

and elegance is completely wiped away

and gone.

Logo design is only one small way that

symbolic interaction can be used.

So, let's look at some valid ways that

designers use this. And then, of course,

again, later at the end of the video, we

will test your knowledge. Symbolic

interaction is sort of like the fabric

of graphic design, if you will. You

could even call it the essence of

graphic design in the respect that it

makes design what it is. Take a

marketing design for a new gaming mouse

as an example. How might symbolic

interaction fit in here on this design?

Well, firstly, the imagery and the

graphics. If the advert design showed

one static image of the mouse on a desk,

it might seem slow, boring, and bland.

Instead, as a designer, you might

showcase the gaming mouse in action with

dynamic images that emphasize speed,

precision, and control. [music] You

might incorporate neon lighting, dynamic

graphics, and elevate the idea of the

mouse via imagery. So the psychology of

the symbolism here is actionorientated

visuals that kind of convey mastery and

precision. And for people who are

competitive, this can be quite

empowering from a psychological point of

view. Gamers often seek tools that make

them feel in control and enhance their

gaming skills. And the visual symbolism

here can even play off of written

symbolism on the advert. There could be

slogans that emphasize themes of

victory, precision, and the immersive

gaming experience facilitated by the

mouse. So things like dominate the game

or precision unleashed, these could be

used. And so the graphics could actually

enforce that symbolic manner. Now,

here's one fact as to why symbolic

interaction is so powerful. Symbolic

interaction is the very thing that

allows for a brand to actually exist in

the first place.

Try this for a second. Close your eyes

just for a minute and think about the

franchise McDonald's.

What actually springs to mind for you

when you consider McDonald's?

Sure, you might have an image of a

burger pop up into your mind, but I'm

sure many of you would also have a

mental image of their golden arches

logo.

The Golden Arches are globally

recognized and associated with

McDonald's. The distinctive shape and

color are familiar to the people and

they create an ease of identification

and this makes it easy for customers to

spot McDonald's in any location around

the world. Simple, yes. Powerful, almost

certainly. And this is why designers

need to be aware of symbolic interaction

because it does exist in pretty much

every aspect of graphic design. It is

also found in something as simple as

website icons. Icons on a website often

serve as symbolic representations of

different sections or actions. An

example, a magnifying glass for search.

Now, it seems so obvious, doesn't it?

But a lot of the time, the most obvious

solution is the best. Users interact

with these symbols by clicking or

tapping on them to navigate through a

website, and well-designed icons enhance

the user experience by providing visual

cues and improving navigation

efficiency.

Now just imagine if instead of icons,

websites used words for every single

clickable button. The websites or the UI

would become a mess and navigation

around it would be vastly slower to the

user. Now before we go ahead and test

our knowledge of symbolic interaction,

we can actually boil down the whole

thing into one simple sentence. Symbolic

interaction is the use of visual cues

that express a message or action on a

design.

And now it's time to check out a design

and see if you can detect symbolic

interaction on that design. So here's

the design by clickable design and we're

going to run through it to see if you've

grasped the concept of symbolic

interaction. And if you haven't, don't

worry because this section of the video

will clear things up for you. And you

can also pause the video if you want to

look over the design and then see if you

can determine where and how symbolic

interaction has been used.

So, the first really obvious way it's

being used is, of course, the icons in

the lower left. Incorporating icons or

symbols that resonate with a target

audience helps a design reach that

intended audience. [snorts] It's a quick

and easy way to convey shared meanings

through a specific community. And it's

pretty cool how these 3D icons match the

focal point 3D nature. But of course, 2D

would have worked as well. But what is

the second way in which symbolic

interaction has been used here? [music]

Well, again, it's use of icons, but this

time it's 2D icons. Now, we can see

icons and graphics typical to gaming and

gamers, but also graphics that belong in

futuristic technology- based designs

like this arrow or the glass overlay.

Now, these work because the designs vibe

with the message is technology and