Changing behaviour is really hard. It is hardwired in our limbic brain where our belief system resides deep in the unconscious. It is this unconscious that determines our sub-conscious and conscious minds. Thus, reaching deep within to create genuine change is very hard.

The good news is that the limbic brain is also the one that decodes a visual stimulus and makes sense of it through a cultural context. It has always been mystifying as to how the cheeky Amul girl has been getting away making fun of every holy cow in the country. She hasn’t spared Prime Ministers and Politicians, Bollywood and sports superstars, godmen and businessmen. The answers lie in our sub-conscious and unconscious minds.

The naughty girl that makes fun of everyone is based on the metaphor of Bal Krishna in our sub-conscious mind. Thus, design has the power to penetrate our minds and enter our hearts (or the prosaic — our limbic brain).

When a rule appeals I saw a brilliant example of such design in Shanghai recently.

A ‘courtesy’ seat meant for old, invalid or pregnant women was coloured pink at the Pudong International Airport. The message was not a curt listing of whom it was meant for; rather it was an appeal — encased in a heart. The design reaches our limbic brain instantly — and is far more effective at shifting behaviour. Every time design is used as an aesthetic embellishment alone, such opportunities to shape new behaviours and beliefs are lost.

Alpana Parida is President, DY Works, a brand strategy and design firm that creates culture-based solutions for businesses.

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