Great Design Saves Lives

What makes a great design vs. one that falls short? Does it communicate its intended message? Does it solve a problem? Does it save lives? 

Designers are not doctors, first responders, or anyone you would count on if your life were in danger. Our work as designers is meant to bring order and communicate important information. But, yes, sometimes our work is even meant to save lives.

Let me explain.

The ’80s were a critical decade for me, mainly regarding music. I was drawn to anything different, anything obscure, anything with synthesizers and drum machines. Flipping through albums at the record store, I ran across a sleeve design that caught my eye, and I was compelled to pick it up.

“Dazzle Ships” by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark was released in 1983, with sleeve artwork designed by Peter Saville Associates. Their inspiration was Edward Wadsworth’s painting “Dazzle-ships in Drydock at Liverpool,” featuring the dazzle camouflage used on World War 1 naval ships in the English and American fleets. The album design was compelling, but the history behind the dazzle camouflage made it much more impactful.

Dazzle camouflage was not meant to hide the ships but to confuse their attackers, concealing their distance, speed, and heading. The dazzle designs of geometric shapes and intersecting lines saved the lives of civilians and sailors on merchant and military ships throughout the war by allowing them to evade those trying to sink them.

There are most likely other examples of great design saving lives, but this one hits home with me. And it inspired the walls of our office.

We aren’t trying to disguise where we’re heading, but to remind ourselves daily to strive to create functional design work that makes an impact.

Question: Do you have other examples of how design has saved lives?