As Americans, we are taught that first impressions are important. As consumers, we are convinced that the latest (and shiniest) version of something is the one we must have. More often than not, these ideas are true in the case of digital design. With that said, though many believe that form and function are equally important, I have to disagree.
I believe that form, or aesthetic design, is more important to the majority of the American population than function, or purpose. If something is not visually pleasing, it is much less likely that it will be recognized. In a world that is constantly bombarded by advertisements and marketing, only the most appealing will prevail. In order to be the most appealing, form must out do function.
Function is necessary for the creation of any item and I do not think that you can create something without the function in mind but form breaks through the noise and creates unique identities between multiple items with common functionality. The only differentiation between these items with similar function is form. Form is the ultimate determining factor in most purchases.
In summation, form and function cannot be equally important in a world that believes so strongly in first impressions and the effects of advertising.
I agree that form needs to be flashy and exciting for the consumer to purchase. I think the design that create some of these have both form and the function equally balanced. The packages that are boring and not consumer catchy are lacking form with over thought of function.
ReplyDeleteOverall I agree that with package design to survive on the shelf with sales the form does matter a lot.
I can't agree that form is more important than function. The form you describe, the marketing and advertising, only exists to draw people to the function. If the function fails to meet their expectations than both form and function will fail. Function must be the foundation.
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