I went on a business trip to Brazil and Argentina with a group of colleagues. We gave lectures, led workshops, joined guided tours, and made new friends along the way.

One thing that stood out to me was the airport in Curitiba, Brazil. At the airport, I noticed a fire extinguisher and two public phones mounted on a gray wall. At first glance, they resembled desktop icons. Upon closer look, I found that a red-and-yellow square box was painted beneath the fire extinguisher, and one phone was positioned lower than the other.

I also observed how Curitiba uses color to promote recycling. Public trash bins were divided into sections, each marked with a distinct color to encourage proper sorting. It became clear that someone in the city thoughtfully used color, shape, height, and arrangement—not as mere decoration but as a tool for communication.

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Reference

Crilly, N., Moultrie, J., & Clarkson, P. J. (2004). Seeing things: Consumer response to the visual domain in product design. Design Studies, 25(6), 547–577.

This paper discusses consumer response to product visual form within the context of an integrated conceptual framework. Emphasis is placed on the aesthetic, semantic and symbolic aspects of cognitive response to design. The accompanying affective and behavioural responses are also discussed and the interaction between cognitive and affective response is considered. All aspects of response are presented as the final stage in a process of communication between the design team and the consumer. The role of external visual references is examined and the effects of moderating influences at each stage in the process of communication are discussed. In particular, the personal, situational and cultural factors that moderate response are considered. In concluding the paper, implications for design practice and design research are presented.