During my time at university, I explored the impact and responsibilities we have as designers. The investigation into the topic
made me question the creative industry, the type of designer I would like to become and greatly influenced my view on the
projects I would like to undertake. I have learned that the creative industry holds great power over the society and can
influence behaviour in many ways. Unfortunately, this authority can have devastating consequences and it is crucial to create
with positive impact in mind. We can either use our skills to create more products and make people believe that the same item
that they already own, but in a different shade of blue is exactly what they need. Or we can shape views, encourage and
motivate.
My main goal was to learn about ways how I can educate the consumer of the negative impact caused by their constant
longing for new, unnecessary items and figure out ways how to motivate them to rethink their next purchase. As designers, we
need to present information carefully to make sure our users think, feel and do the right thing. Metaphors are a great tool to
help viewers understand abstract or unfamiliar content. By linking abstract information to a concrete concept, it becomes
easier for people to understand the information. Another interesting aspect of metaphors is that they can influence people’s
actions. By translating interactions that we know from the real world to the Web, we can also transfer our knowledge to the
screen. This way, metaphors can be very engaging and actionable because we intuitively know what to do. I would like to use
metaphors to help the consumer understand the negative impact caused by selfish materialism, create a sense of familiarity,
trigger emotions, draw attention and motivate them to take action.
