Why Design Matters

22May11

Phil and I went out the other night; we had tickets to see Eisley in Portland. Before we made it to the show, we stopped by the Pearl District to get something to eat. I had seen this place a couple nights before and wanted to try it. Little Big Burger is like a mod northwest In-n-Out. It was tasty and it was a great experience, but I was a little shocked by how drawn to it I was, and how drawn to it everyone else was. They don’t have a ton of options as far as the menu, it wasn’t cutting edge in it’s appearance, and no one had told me about it, so why did Phil and I have a pretty strong desire to try it out?

Good, well thought out, Design.

Let me explain what I got out of the design at Little Big Burger, and why I know the designer put more thought into it than just, “I want this to look cool”.

Let’s start with the most prominent part of the design of Little Big Burger: The Color Scheme. Red, Yellow, White, Black, Silver, and Blonde Wood. Red and Yellow are classic attention-getters in regards to food. But, hopefully you can tell that they’re not just trying to ride the successful coat tails of McDonald’s… so what were they thinking?

Look familiar? Does this remind you of McDonald’s? Maybe a little… Can you see how this famous painting by Piet Mondrian is a little reminiscent of the Little Big Burger brand? Hopefully (although in your defense, all you have are my amateur photos from my visit). A painting based around minimalism, the same theme that Little Big Burger seems to have. A Short and sweet menu, local ingredients, design without any bells and whistles, just classic and essential.

Next, Helvetica, okay fine, it’s Arial, which everyone knows is only the 1982 Microsoft version of Helvetica. Helvetica, is a font designed in the late 50′s after Akzidenz-Grotesk, all three of these abide by a tight grid, a grid that allows them to be seen, but also subdue to the background. Again, no fancy bells or whistles — there for the need of it being there.

Finally, the art on the wall. Compared to my explaination of the typefaces used and the color scheme, the art is a little more fancy than the unpretentious font nor is it essential. But, this restaurant is not from the 1920′s like Mondrian’s painting or the 1950′s like Helvetica, this restaurant reflects a modern/current edge through the art on the wall. The “street art“, still in a grid-like scheme, but modern in style, deters this restaurant looking vintage, but provides a sense of up-to-date-ness that appeals to consumers.

First impressions matter.
Meaning behind your design matters.
Cohesiveness matters.

Designers are not just people who know how to use computer programs, nor are they just authors of pretty pictures. At least for me, being a designer means thinking; tying different messages into one visual package. The general population may not be able to put into words what a company represents by looking at a logo, but they can sense when something is special, or they get a good first impression from something. Those good impressions are from the outward appearance, an outward appearance that is thought out with the general public in mind.

*Please note that I am writing this off the cuff.. I have work to do, but am really excited about posting this. I may come back and get more detailed with my explanation.

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Tags: case study, design, essay, observation