The Healing Power of Design: How Aesthetics Impact Our Well-being

Throughout human history, aesthetics have always mattered. Aesthetic design was in everything, and good design helps designers share emotions or ideas. A simple example is using warm white lighting in homes to feel cosy, and cool white lighting to feel clean like hospitals. This article will show how aesthetic designs can improve your well-being.

Psychological Effects of Aesthetic Design

Different colours evoke different emotions. Here are some common associations:

• Red: Evokes excitement and anger; increases alertness but can also cause stress.
• Blue: Promotes calmness and trust, often seen in medical logos.
• Green: Represents nature and provides a soothing effect in aesthetic designs, commonly used in wellness industries.
• Yellow: Bright and cheerful, it lifts moods and creates a welcoming aesthetic design.

However, the specific shade of a colour can significantly alter an aesthetic design’s impact:

• Soft Colours: Pastels are gentle and calming, perfect for relaxation or mindfulness apps.
• Dark Colours: Deep shades look elegant but can feel heavy if overused. Ideal for luxury brands or serious services.
• Bright Colours: These grab attention quickly but should be used sparingly to avoid overwhelming users.
• Neon Colours: Like bright colours, they stand out but can be too intense if overdone. Best for urgent notifications or calls-to-action.

The McDonalds’ logo does a great job at using these aesthetic design rules to make an attention-grabbing, fun logo. They also avoid overwhelming customers by using little red outside their logo or meal boxes, instead opting for the secondary yellow colour which is more uplifting.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

Creating a nice-looking space needs careful planning. Here are some things to avoid:

1. Patterns: Too many different patterns can be overwhelming.
2. Scale: Mixing too many item sizes makes it hard to focus.
3. Clutter: Make sure there's enough space around items to avoid clutter.
4. Forgetting personal touches: Without personal touches, spaces can feel boring and less inviting.
5. Functionality vs Comfort: Balance both comfort and functionality.

Making these aesthetic design mistakes can lead to bad experiences:

1. Boredom: Bad design can make people lose interest quickly.
2. Negative Emotions: Bright colours or harsh contrasts can cause stress or discomfort.
3. Confusion: Cluttered designs with no clear style frustrate users looking for easy navigation.

A good example of confusing website design is HavenWorks:

This website, while now a relic of the past, managed to do most things wrong in its aesthetic choices. The bright contrasting colours make text hard to read while the clutter leaves you wondering where you’re meant to go or click next. While certainly not a boring website, HavenWorks does not do a good job at being a website with aesthetic design

Conclusion

The healing power of aesthetic design lies one’s ability to first understand it before using it. once it’s understood, you can surround yourself with blues to feel more calm, yellow to cheer yourself up, bright colours to feel more excited, or dark colours to feel more grounded. influence our emotions through careful aesthetic choices. By understanding how different aesthetic choices affect mood designers contribute positively to our well-being.