Design Benign on Speak Up

I expanded an earlier Design Benign article about how cuteness is used to promote the green movement. The end result was published on the design blog Speak Up.

[Check it out here!]

Bunnies with Machine Guns: Cuteness and Irony

Want to be ironic? Just use cuteness.

Cuteness may normally contain the traits of innocence and harmlessness, but paired with something dangerous or illicit can make it funny. This is a popular motif in urban vinyl toys, pairing cutely designed characters with cigarettes, weapons and other items related to hip-hop/hipster/graffiti culture. Like a toddler wearing its father’s over-sized shoes, putting cuteness together with danger and destruction raises a little chuckle- and it can be disconcerting.



I’ve noticed that “cute irony” has risen in popularity in recent years. Urban vinyl toys are more popular than ever. There is also the curious phenomenon of “gothic cute”, pairing typical gothic themes of death and horror with cuteness- possibly influenced by the works of Edward Gorey.

Since I’ve been in a video game mood lately, I will observe how “cute irony” is used in the game [Portal]. Portal is a first-person shooter in which the player uses a portal gun to create holes in the walls and other surfaces of a testing laboratory in order to solve a series of puzzles.

While solving the puzzles, the player must dodge iPod-looking gun turrets (pictured above) that speak in [high, sing-songy voices] like a child playing hide-and-seek- while trying to kill the player. The eyeball-like spheres that make up the laboratory's murderous computer AI system, GLaDOS, are also shown as being [childlike] and inquisitive. Within the setting’s sterile white-and-chrome setting are little touches of cuteness that only heighten the isolation and terror the player feels.

Infectiously Adorable

Originally created as novelty toys, the [GIANTmicrobes] line of plush toys has become popular with doctors and health educators. The toys depict various microbes and viruses that affect human health, anthropomorphized with big eyes and humorous appendages associated with the diseases they cause. The plushie of Infectious mononucleosis (the "kissing disease") has [long, flirtatious eyelashes]; Necrotizing fasciitis, flesh-eating bacteria, has [a silver fork and knife] embroidered onto its body.

Because of the toys' friendly, cuddly demeanor, GIANTmicrobes have been very successful as health education tools. Prompted by requests from doctors, the company created a line of "professional" plush toys for public health education. These include HIV and Tuberculosis. The company states on its web site, "[W]e believe that GIANTmicrobes™ can indeed be used effectively to convey information about public-health diseases in a unique and memorable way" (1).

Perhaps one of the reasons these toys work so well as health education tools is that they give a more amiable face to disease, something that is normally feared and reviled by people. They're also humorous, lessening the negative impact information about these diseases could have. And people can relate to them more: the toys have facial features, they're soft and one can hold them and interact with them.


1. http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/main/professional/

One Step to Cuteness: Add a Face

Image from [15 Shapes]. (Hat tip to [Drawn!])

Apples. Oranges. Candy. Clouds. Rainbows. All of these things are cute in their own right, but there is a very simple way to make them even cuter: Add a face to them.

Adding a simple, smiling face to inanimate objects has become a very popular illustration choice. It's a quick, easy way to make anything cute. Just a little smile and two bright, round eyes is enough to imbue any object with personality.

But it's not just any face. Studying a variety of these illustrations, the faces placed onto the inanimate objects are similar:

Eyes: The eyes are always flat black circles. There is no iris or pupil. The eyes are also spaced far apart according to the shape of the "head". This helps give the object a "benign", unthreatening appearance.

Mouth: The mouths can vary a bit, but they are usually either compact, staying in the center of the "face", or stretch wide across the width of the object. The eyes are also always placed at either end of the mouth- never above it.

Someday, I would like to do a little study of eye-mouth proportion and composition and which variations of this are seen as the most cute. *puts that on the to-do list*

OT: Video Game Interfaces

I am spiraling into a video game binge, so updating may become sporadic in the coming weeks as I play through [Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice], [Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection], and [Shadow of the Colossus].

Colossus pushes not only my gaming buttons -one of the best I’ve played- but my design buttons. After playing other Japanese RPGs/adventure games -with their bloated charts and diagrams mapping everything from character, weapon and armor stats to potions inventory- the incredibly sparse interface of Colossus is a breath of fresh air.

The plot of the game is simple: The player controls a young warrior who has to seek out sixteen colossi. Not enemies other than these gigantic monsters exist, and the only goal in the game is to kill them. No side quests, no character development, no items to collect or buy, no real story line. The interface of Colossus matches the simplicity of the game: a health meter (for the player and the colossus), a box showing which weapon is equipped at the moment, and a circle that doubles as a grip and weapons strength meter.

It was a little alarming for me at first, being accustomed to complicated game play and information design. When traveling to the first colossus I spent a good deal of time riding around trying to find hidden potions or other items that would help me in my battles. But no- all I had was a sword and a bow to defeat the colossus, and nothing to help my health meter should I become injured. So in lieu of assistance from items or armor, the player relies only on they dexterity and puzzle-solving abilities when battling the colossi. You're pretty much left to your own devices.

This can be very scary and overwhelming at times. The colossi are huge, and move around a lot during battle, and the player is constantly in danger of being stepped on. The camera being from the player's POV adds to this sense of full immersion in the game. It's definitely different from most RPGs, in which the player and enemies stand politely on either side of the screen, taking turns exchanging attacks.

But, back to the interface. The lack of information cluttering the screen lends to an incredible sense of freedom in the game play. I've found myself just running around the expansive landscape for up to an hour, just exploring without the goal of finding anything (other than the colossus). Of course there is a map, but it's not needed for finding the colossi, really. And the beautiful design of the interface rewards players for getting lost and exploring.

So, uh, if you get the chance, get out this game. I was lucky enough to get it for $0.89 at Gamestop (using an $18 store card from trade ins). I also want to get a copy of its sister game, [ICO], but it's harder to find.