Secrets in Design
Author of this post: Brockett Horne | About Blog Authors »I have trouble keeping a secret.
But I delight in finding them. An author’s inside joke, a superfluous self portrait, well-designed error pages, virtual Easter eggs, are all fun secrets to uncover in design.
One of my design heroes, Ootje Oxenaar, added bonus elements in his designs for Dutch money. He says: “On the 1000 guilder note, it became a ’sport’ for me to put things in the notes that nobody wanted there!” His beloved rabbit, fingerprints, notes from his travels, are all hidden like secrets within the bank notes.
Detail from “error page” on mica’s website: www.mica.edu/404, design by Emily Bennett
As a student, we shared an unpublished key command for Quark Xpress that conjured a robot to shoot and destroy unwanted objects. Moviegoers even sit through the closing credits seeking a coda, or an extra scene, after the names roll. Gamers watch for Easter eggs as much as they seek to advance to the next level.
Finding these secrets is a reward the distinguished user, the one who seeks out the details of a design. Have you ever designed a secret in your work? Found one that you want to share? Post here.
Check out this great gallery of 404 pages that boast design consideration even when an error page loads.
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