Being Designerly - Issue 6 - Empathy & Logo Redesigns

WELCOME

About empathy, brand and logo redesigns, and design teams

One key designerly behavior is empathic concern: being able to understand and feel for people, and use that to help them. While you will find over 11 million results for a Google search on "empathy in design", this issue has three - a 2-minute video clip about the three levels of empathy, a long read on false empathy, and a short read on how designers can generate empathy by walking a mile in people's shoes.

With the new year, there have been a few logo and brand redesigns - this issue looks at the CIA, South Carolina, Burger King, Pfizer, and MS Windows aspiration.

We'll also take a look at the current state of design teams, and CES 2021 which will be virtual next week.

FEATURE

Daniel Goleman on the Three Kinds of Empathy

This 2 1/2 minute video conversation between Oprah and Daniel Goleman addresses the three kinds of empathy: cognitive empathy, emotional empathy and empathic concern.

Ethnographic studies help create empathy for users

A quick read on how walking a mile in people's shoes can lead to designs that make their lives easier.

False empathy and the power of empathy in design

A detailed, 15-minute read about how empathy is commonly misunderstood these days, and how people can practice empathy.

VISUAL

The new CIA logo is being brutally mocked

The Central Intelligence Agency recently redesigned its website and unveiled a new logo that has not been well received...

Palmetto tree or toilet brush? Proposed state flag redesign prompts backlash

"I don't anticipate anything from Twitter or any other form of social media but negativity. No one ever tweets, 'That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.' ... Any new design, I anticipate the same kind of response on social media."
- Eric Emerson, director of the state's department of archives and history, also on the flag committee

Burger King Rolls Out Its First Rebrand In 20+ Years

From government rebrands gone wrong to a Burger King rebrand that people are loving (despite what Eric Emerson said above)

The image from this twitter thread shows the new Burger King mark - a stylized burger, with the letter ‘B’ as the whole burger, and the letter ‘K’ as a flat wide patty

Pfizer unveils its first major logo redesign in 70 years

Pfizer's new logo, drops the blue pill shape for a double helix-inspired mark, representing the science that gave rise to the company’s COVID-19 vaccine.

It may not win any design awards or social media love, so let's see if we wait another 70 years for the next update!

Microsoft planning ‘sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows’

A job listing posted by Microsoft recently for the Windows Core User Experiences team:

“On this team, you’ll work with our key platform, Surface, and OEM partners to orchestrate and deliver a sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows experiences to signal to our customers that Windows is BACK and ensure that Windows is considered the best user OS experience for customers.”

TOPICAL

Pentagram’s holiday card has some of the most poignant advice for 2021

The card is based on celebrated architect Michael Sorkin’s “250 Things an Architect Should Know” from his 2018 book, What Goes Up.

TOOLS

Loop Design UI kit - A free UI kit for busy designers and startups

Download a free design system UI kit to design your next website or webapp (Figma)

NEWS

The State of Design Teams: Structure, Alignment and Impact

A survey by the Nielsen Norman Group of 557 UX and design professionals reveals themes in the structure, size, alignment, and impact of design teams.

As expected, teams have the greatest impact on visual design and usability.

Watch CES 2021 livestreamed on Jan 11

CES 2021 will be virtual this year, but the show will go on and you can still learn about new products on CNET.

Tune in, Monday, January 11, 2021.

UNTIL NEXT TIME

Until Next Time

I hope you enjoyed this first issue of 2021, and the articles on the designerly behavior of empathy as well as the recent rebranding exercises.

I'm looking for feedback, of the brutally honest kind, so this can improve over time. You can reach me at lycerejo (at) gmail.com - thank you!