Bloom Thinks: Design vs Distraction Part 2

What can brands learn from design that puts attention before distraction?

We’re ever-more conscious of feeling distracted by frivolous slop. The swiping and scrolling exerts a moreish pull but we know it exists to exploit our worst natures.

Whether by man or machine this kind of content has been designed to distract. The way it never satisfies is a feature, not a bug. Because its intent is to keep you hooked; to seek out the next dopamine drip; to feed that craving for the next novelty.

But design is meant to do better. Saul Bass, designer of some of the C20th’s most iconic logos and movie posters, said “Design is thinking, made visual”. It’s intelligence, brought to life. It’s mindful. Not mindless.

Design that follows this philosophy is an antidote to distraction.

When we’re being distracted we’re less human. We’re disconnected from ourselves, others and our surroundings. We feel twitchy and dissatisfied. Our senses are numbed and our minds dulled.

Whereas good design makes us more human. Good design is imbued with the designer’s intention, grounding and connecting us. It’s engaging because it’s stimulating or solves a problem. And it’s satisfying because it makes life simpler, better or more enjoyable, for more people, more often.

Distraction is also a waste of our precious time. It’s costly. Instead of costing us brands should reward us by absorbing our attention with meaningful substance and depth, crafted with care. As well as catching our eye it should involve our minds. So good design often includes friction or dissonance, with layers to immerse us, variation to hold our interest or codes to decipher.

Nando’s identity is a prime example. Wherever you find the brand you see rich naturalistic hand-designed African patterns. The iconic typeface was hand-painted by artist Marks Salimu. Even the red brand colour is hand-mixed to match the colours or piri-piri chillies. This effort and energy never gets dull. It rewards every viewing. Lush follows a similar playbook – there’s grit and texture, with the fruity vibrant product and cheeky TOV offset by scrawled chalkboard type in simple black & white.

But this effort isn’t limited to IRL brands. Email marketing platform Mailchimp and productivity app Notion both have designs with depth, mixing digital and hand-illustrated imagery to balance clarity with sensory engagement. Users are rewarded with an experience worth staying loyal to and paying more for.

And it’s loyalty that’s the prize for brands. Our heads will always be turned by shallow novelty. But our full, enduring attention hinges on depth. In a distracted world Investing in richly human, attention-rewarding design is worth the extra effort.

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