RISING TRENDS: The rise of the UnDigital

No, it's not a zombie attack! It is a breather for the eyes, visual texture brought to you by human hands

Digital images are everywhere and we may not realize it, but our eyes do need a break. In fact our eyes, having evolved in a imperfect, pre-digital world crave the soulful imperfections of the non-digital and handmade. Therefore we have been experimenting with the handmade, the cut out, carved, the imperfect.

Source: Pinterest

One of the people we follow on Twitter, the Design Diva (aka JoAnn Hines) in her duties as a curator for Pinterest posted this coffee design that is all based on handmade wood cuts. And it caught our eyes like the first bird of spring.

Source: Pinterest

For thousands of years our hands were our computers, artisans apprenticed and trained their eyes and hands, and though what they made may not have been "picture perfect" it was real, tangible, it could be seen with the eyes and hands. The experience came through more than one sense. The artisan knew every step of the process between his or her fingertips and the substance being worked.

How much do most of us know about what happens between the keyboard or draw pad of our computers and the image on the screen?

Which one of these cups calls out to be picked up and handled? Sipped? Enjoyed? Experienced? Which one was designed from handmade woodcuts.

Benefits:

Getting designers out of their seats and getting their hands back into work now and then might be more healthy and enjoyable.
Using different senses will likely open up long unused channels in designers nervous systems and make them more creative.
It will draw customers to it. If the product is something that is associated with a time out or a break, a little of the undigital can make it all the more refreshing.
The added dimensions from utilizing different sense channels makes the experience more engaging and memorable.

Source: Pinterest

The Point: In a digital age, where so much is digitally perfect, smooth and refined, the hand made catches eyes. Give your products and designs a little bit of soul. Give them the human touch. Get hands, muscles, and nerves back into the process. Put texture back into the experience. People, their eyes, their souls, are hungry for it.

Here are some other examples of UnDigital designs from our blog: