Interaction Design

In an ever growing structure of shared public information it is very common (and almost taken for granted) for us to go online, do a search or visit a  certain website to gather knowledge about any specific topic such as cookie recipes, getting directions from one place to another,  buying a pair of shoes, or even finding out what the capitol of Zimbabwe is. All of this information had to be made accessable by many different people. There are businessmen, photographers, scientists, salesmen, news reporters, journalists, authors, writers, teachers, programmers, project managers, and many other different clients at work when putting together a website. There is one type of person that plays a considerably important role when making a website and that is a Graphic Designer. Graphic Design greatly influences a website as it is the judge of how well the website is portrayed, how well the information will be interpreted, how often a viewer will return to the website, and how successful the website will be. Graphic Design does determine and does have an affect on how a viewer will interpret the information that it is displaying.

We do not learn or gain much on content alone but by organized content. I have learned that Graphic Design can be described simply as a skill of combining and organizing content (text and imagery). To many peoples surprize, the work of a Graphic Designer does not only and exclusively involve “making it look pretty” but it does involve more than aesthetics. Businesses today are realizing more and more the importance of having Graphic Designers sit in their meetings to learn what they are learning to be able to optimize what their creation will initially outcome. It takes even smarter businessmen to give heed to what Designers say and suggest. Graphic Designers and what they produce have become an asset to many companies and corporations and especially because of what they are doing online.

Communication is the most important thing in Graphic Design. If it doesn’t communicate, it doesn’t work. If it doesn’t work, then money is lost, people lose jobs, and people are not happy. One of the key roles in communication for a Graphic Designer is to make sure that things are organized correctly and that the information that is being displayed will connect with the viewer in a visual, functional, emotional, and maybe even spiritual way.

Graphic Designers are in charge of working with every member of the group of the process in creating a website. They can be involved in the planning of it from the start, as to deciding what information will be displayed, determining who the audience is, what kind of wording and visual context will be displayed, when the website will be live and running, how it will be maintained, and where it will be located. They work with programmers to determine what kind of media will be used, how things will be displayed in heirarchy, and how different parts of the website will function. They work with whoever is funding or in charge of the whole thing to find out what their purpose and vision for the website as a whole would be, so that a certain goal might be fulfilled. They work with many people in order to create something that will be successful. Of course, in a small site that has been structured by someone on their own without any of this experience due to the lack of funds will reap exactly what they sow (which is most likely something not very successful), and we’ve all seen some of that.

As a Designer, we are trained thouroughly to be critical in every aspect, including aspects that do not entirely relate to mere visual aesthetics. We are trained to think of what different types of people will think when they look at something and learn from it or if they even learn from it at all. When a website goes up it is open to the public to be able to freely look at what it has to offer and do so in whatever order and manner that the public wants to look at it. When a Graphic Designer is in the process of creating a website, they are constantly thinking of what the viewer is going to think and what kind of viewer will be viewing it, catering to the needs of everyone. When one person is put in charge of putting together a website on their own without the help of different group members to help communicate, they often have a bias that they don’t recognize of how they think the website will work and function.

Almost in every case, our initial ideas and concepts are not the most successful or rewarding to its cause. Graphic Designers are put to work to solve problems, and come up with solutions to make ideas work and concepts communicate in their best form. We start sketching ideas from the beginning to get bad ideas out of the way and excellent ideas into the boiling pot. In my experience, working collaboratively makes the best work. In the case of web design, two or more heads are amazingly and extremely better than one. As we are humans, we make errors in thinking of how things should be, so it is essential that we have more people looking at our work and correcting us in our endeavors. Peer review is important and that is what makes having a Graphic Designer another asset to designing for the web.

On a blog found on www.positivespaceblog.com, a Graphic Designer had to say about distinguishing Graphic Design and Web Design:

“One of the most frustrating things for me within design is my seemingly misplaced sense of job title. What I just don’t get is why a web designer is different than a graphic designer? Other than the mediums being used, what is the real difference and what do multi-discipline designers like me refer to themselves as? The only solution that I have come up with so far is the title of Art Director, which while true in my case but is really just a way to avoid the problem. The title is also very vague towards those who know nothing about our industry. In the past I have even been asked if I work at a museum when I tell people what I do.

What is the distinction that keeps a web designer from being labeled a graphic designer as well. Why is it that “graphic designers,” in the context they are referred to, are not “print designers?” In a logical world, both web designers and print designers would belong to the parent category of “graphic designer.” This is at least the way that I look at it. Are both disciplines not the practice of graphic design, just separated by medium?”

I believe that there is a difference between a Web Designer and a Graphic Designer. You can be a Graphic Designer and not have the skills necessary to be able to fulfill the position of Web Designer, though a great Designer would be skilled in adapting to whatever situation they are put into. A Web Designer is someone that has a greater skill in designing for the web. As someone designs for print, they have to think sequentially and have to solve problems in that sort of way. They think in a way that they have power and are in charge of what the viewer will see and when they will see it. As a web designer, you would be in charge of designing things so that anyone who looked at it would be able to navagate through the website in what ever order that they would like to, thus making things very differently from print and often sometimes much harder.

Graphic Design is essential for Web Design. Of course, a graphic designer is not needed when a head of a family is creating a blog for their own family, but neither is a programmer or other people. But to create a well designed custom website, a team of Graphic Designers, Programmers, and other managers are important to have. This team of Graphic Designers that create a website I would call Web Designers.

It has been said that design is everywhere, and this is true, however it is incomplete.

I’m sure that the person responsible for this idiom knew well that there’s more to that statement than simply that there is design in everything. It’s in cities, towns, cars, lunch boxes, yes, even our treasured Thermos was designed. What’s missing from this statement, you might ask? Well, the fact that design is everywhere says nothing about the quality of that design.

Before I get carried away, let’s make sure that we all have the same understanding for the word “design.” There can be many ways to interpret the word. Even the Oxford English Dictionary has 9 variations of its usage. I’m referring to the first:

“A plan or scheme conceived in the mind and intended for subsequent execution; the preliminary conception of an idea that is to be carried into effect by action; a project.”

At this level it can be hard, at first to see the correlation between this definition and specific fields of design such as graphic or web design. Perhaps the following illustration will shed some light.

A small business owner has thought long and hard about the unveiling of a new product. The owner, like many entrepreneurs, is risking most of his business in its release. He will need to sell an incredible amount in the first year in order for his business to survive. He has faith that if the right people are informed about it, they will most certainly buy it. With so much risk involved this veteran of failure knows he can’t continue without a thorough plan. He consults his friends and family for advice on how to best penetrate his market. Together they come up with some pretty specific demographics and psychographics. They determine the best approach to reach this audience and implement their plan, or design.

A graphic designer’s job is, in essence, the same. Determine the best visual approach to connect with the target audience and inspire them to act. In both the graphic designer’s case and the small business owner’s, the goals are the same and they require the same thing: communication. In the end, even graphic design is not simply about aesthetics. Sure they make things nice to look at, but that’s not the point. If the point is to get a certain number of hits on a certain web site that’s aimed at teenagers and it doesn’t look like a site for teenagers (and it doesn’t have to look bad at all) it will not be successful. That said, a site designed for teenagers that looks great can still be badly designed.

Good design communicates and connects with the target audience. Good design is the successful implementation of a well-thought-out plan. Bad design is just the opposite, and, of course, there is a wide range of mediocrity between the two. With both good and bad design the results can be pretty well predicted. For the average example of design we might as well flick a coin in the air and hope for the best. The point is, unless a good design is in place, the target audience may not get the message and our friend, the small business owner, may be searching for a job next year. So, in order to secure a little more certainty in our future, a message must be planned and implemented so that those tuned in will hear and act.

Part of the design process is determining what message will be most effective, and how that message will be best picked up by the target audience. How much of the message needs to be heard, seen, or felt? When we look at packaging we not only see the branding of the company that distributed it, but also the key characteristics of that company. Picking up the product should enhance that message. In the design of that packaging we should be able to see how much care and attention the designers and distributors put into the product, how well they care for the environment, and why we should even consider buying or believing in the product in question.

Sometimes the product we’re asked to buy into is no tangible thing but an idea or the message itself. When we see advertisements for businesses and corporations that implement green energy in the production of a product, part of the idea that we’re to buy into is that they’re better for “going green.” This idea is being sold to you along with the assumption that you already bought the idea that “green is better.” Whether or not it really is better makes little difference until, of course, you begin to consider buying the product being advertised. At any rate, a message as a product was designed and implemented into society. The design for the green message must have been pretty good when considering the fairly recent surge of importance of taking care of the environmental.

If good design, coupled with a good message, are successfully implemented (as seen with the “green” movement) then design can make a difference in the world for the better. In order to create a better future, the consumer needs to be better trained to ask himself if buying a certain product or service will improve the future.

One of the most effective ways of sharing a message is through the internet. Web sites can say just about anything before it contains any content. Just like a package, a web site lets you know what it’s contents are. And just like a well designed package, a web site contains several messages such as how much care and attention to detail went into the site, what the creators care about, and why you should visit this web site again over other web sites of its kind. The message of the web site must be synonymous with the message of the content. It must communicate and connect with the target audience. But first and foremost, it must be well-designed.

The audience’s experience with a product determines its (and your) success.

What is graphic design?

Graphic design is the power to create the viewer’s experience. When you choose to control how a viewer experiences your product you take away the uncertainty and guessing that can come from poorly researched design. Uninspired and weak design will not accomplish a company’s goals for success, and could hurt a viewer’s perceived value and trust of your brand.

Accessible communication:

Graphic design at its essence is visual communication. As the world becomes more and more visual people have become less patient and tolerant of information that is not able to be instantly understood. This has developed in “banner blindness” where people simply tune out visual noise. It’s more important than ever to make your message both accessible and enjoyable.

First exposure:

While it is impossible to get all information across to your audience instantly, it is possible to present it in a way that they can instantly know the purpose and whether or not they will investigate further. This first contact is crucial because so much of what you want your audience to think about you won’t be gathered from the body copy you write. The logo, colors and shapes, to name a few, will immediately cause the viewer to begin classifying and categorizing your company’s product. This is true whether you’re selling a new drain cleaner product on the shelves or starting a political editorial website.

You often only have an instant to make this first impression to draw in your audience. A logo is usually the first image a viewer will associate with you. This image should be unique and meaningful. Implying value, personality and gaining trust all begin with a strong mark.

Colors and shapes all play an important sub-conscious role in your message. Sometimes using a color or image just because you like it isn’t a good enough reason anymore. It’s important to not only be aware of what your page is visually communicating but to also design with this in mind and use it to your advantage.

Important considerations:

• Logo/name
• Colors
• Impressions

The viewer’s investment:

After a first impression of your product a viewer makes the choice to move on or invest a little of their energy and time to research and understand your message better. In the information age readers have honed a survival skill to sift through the abundance of information. The tendency to skim or gloss over information has become much more prevalent in recent years. Like it or not, this is how people find their information now and design should cater to this tendency.

As the world becomes more and more visual people have become less patient and tolerant of information that is not able to be instantly understood.

So the pattern repeats itself. Once the viewer has decided to look they’re again scanning for easily accessible information and the exact information they want.

Typographic choices, organization and the amount of information come into play in this step of the audience’s experience. These choices become a road map for people to navigate your information and soak it in easily and efficiently.

Important considerations:

• Information
• Typography
• Organization

Close the sale/Establish a relationship:

By this point a customer should have a clear understanding of what your product is or what your service can do for them. As your company grows and services expand then the brand you create becomes a promise of service. A symbol of quality that customers will be able to rely on for their needs. Your distinct and unique brand is a valuable asset that will grow with each contact your product has.

Important considerations:

• How to buy
• Support/instruction
• Communication
• Benefits

Research your design

With as important as it is to have a design that accomplishes your business’ strategies it’s just as important to not leave the outcome of a design to chance. Speculating on the results of your company’s design is a dangerous game and ultimately it doesn’t even matter if you as the boss or designer even like the design. What really matters is if it accomplishes the goals set out for it. It can be determined if your design is successful by doing user testing. Go find someone who is a member of your target audience and show them the design. Observe their reactions and get some opinions. This feedback will be extremely valuable to know how to better structure the page.

For a business man it’s a long and arduous journey for a potential client to make it from first exposure to customer but when the product is designed with the audience’s experience in mind that journey can be tightened and smoothed up considerably which means more success for you.

note:

I got carried away throwing words like audience, clients, viewers and business man around (probably more) almost interchangeably. It’s because as I wrote this article I was thinking of different possibilities people have to come across a design. From the web to ordering at McDonalds these design principles are true across the board. Feel free to take whatever profession you choose to be, or audience you plan to target and substitute your own words in for where I just placed general references.

Whether one see’s it or not, design is everywhere. Some view design as beauty while others may refer to it as aesthetics or looking nice. Whatever you chose to call it, it is based on the ground rules applied from the principles of design.

What makes a design success?

Due to the fact of desktop publishers and so forth, we often see designs, publications, banners, posters, etc that are poorly designed. Just because they know how to use the programs does not make them designers. A designer is one that dissects the task at hand and then goes to work applying the principles of design. Generally, a success is not accomplished in one hour’s time. A good successful design takes time and revision. I have heard it said that a design is never complete. There is always something that can be improved.

What’s the big deal?

When it comes to the business side of the spectrum, the success of the product or function may come from the foundations of the designs. I know for me, being a designer, I will buy products based on their packaging or overall style (typography, color scheme, function, etc). I have been told many times that I have expensive taste. This is something that I have thought a lot about and have come to the conclusion that it is not “expensive taste.” It is an eye for craftsmanship and quality that comes with a higher price.

Quality and Craftsmanship

In the design community, the word “craftsmanship” is used often, but sometimes ignored. Although craftsmanship is not a principle of design, it should be applied to all designs.

Teaching the Client Between Good and Bad

When working for a client, you may often hear phrases like; “Can we make the logo bigger?” “Why is there so much blank space.” Lets fill it with information and graphics.” “I am just not feeling it.” or when the design is completed, “There are a few minor adjustments we would like to make.” As a designer, it is our job to educate the client on why the logo is not the biggest item on the page, or why we chose the colors we did, or why there is positive and negative space. With an educated client, you and the client can work together to pull off a success.

The difference in business and art is the motivation. The business motivation is behind sales and numbers where as the art motivation is aesthetics. With fine-tuning, communication, and education, the motivations of both sides will work very well together to please both parties. As a designer, we must consider the goals of the client; they are the ones paying for it. Now this does not mean that you must forgo the basic principles of design.

A successful design comes from a client the understands the designer and when the designer understands the client.

Applying Design to the Web

The world wide web is a different kind of design. With my limited experience in building a website, there are many constraints when it comes to layout, type, and color scheme. These constraints are not something to fight but something that should be mastered. There are good websites out there that have mastered these skills. Often times, good design comes from the bounds of limits. When working with clients, they may say they don’t want certain colors or certain fonts. Working with the web is like working with a choosy client; some things you just can’t do. It really tests your abilities when you have to push outside your normal ways of design and work in situation that limit your styles. In many situations, a design is more successful when it has limitations and constraints.

Not only must one master the skill of designing for the web, but master the skill of organization. In my own opinion, a website may look good but if it does not function properly and is hard to navigate, it is a waste of space. The purpose of a website is to inform about a certain topic or feature. If one cannot navigate through the pages, the information is lost. I like the phrase, “they come, they puke, they leave.” I often finding myself frustrated while searching for information on the web and I now realize why. That reason is because of navigation. Navigation is so important! It needs to be put in a location that is accessible to the viewer.

The web is always changing and is never standing still. As a web designer, you must always be learning and growing in technology and in the web design industry. If you stand still for more than a month, you may find yourself behind. There is always something that can be learned about the web at all times.

Nitty Gritty

When designing, you are often working for someone rather than your self. Whether it be a brochure, a billboard, a business card, logo, website, or even package design, you must please the client. It is so important as a designer to know the field of design to educate those you are working for. Design should not be compromised to please a client. The designer must have a clear vision of what the clients needs are. The designer does not have to love the design, the client does. However, even if the designer does not love the design, it should still have the principles of design implemented. I know personally I have a style in the way that I work. My style is not always the style that people are looking for, but if I design with basic principles in mind, it can be a success for the client and I.

One of my favorite quotes is by Massimo Vignelli, “The life of a designer is a life of fight. Fight against the ugliness. Just like a doctor fights against disease. For us, the visual disease is what we have around, and what we try to do is cure it somehow with design.” Design surrounds us whether we see it or not. Some is toxic and some is beautiful. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Interesting Website – Check out the videos! I really like “Redesigning the Stop Sign”

Whenever people ask me what my major is and I say graphic design. They always have the question, what is graphic design? Does it have something to do with advertising? What are you going to do with that major? Many questions like these and more have been asked about designing. 

What should we tell people that graphic design is? The dictionary explains graphic design as a visual communication by a skillful combination of text and pictures. Graphic design encompasses so much of the world and things that we look at every day. Anywhere you go, it is on signs, posters, books, packaging, menus and so many more places.

Design is not only making something look pretty

Design is not just making things look pretty is one of the most important points to get across to non-designers. A huge part of design is presenting ideas or concepts in a beautiful way but also have it serve a function. The most accomplished designers see the importance of deep research, planning and problem solving. A good designer is able to find a perfect balance between the content and design and solving the problem at hand. Through experience I have seen many projects of people that look like they were more worried about the design than the content and you can see that they don’t fit together and something is missing. When I do see good design it is when the design was made after research and careful thinking and you can see how both are working together to make something wonderful and interesting to look at. The best projects have meaning, and people care about them.

When people ask about graphic design it is important to explain that design is not just making something pretty, it is so much more, Design is making something that has meaning, importance and makes sense. This is not an easy thing to do but if done well than people will notice the difference between good design and okay design.

The difference between designers and non-designers

After working as a Graphic Designer on campus for over 3 years now, I have had a lot of chances to learn what people expect from designers. It was a huge change to move from working under Brother Burgener (a designer who knows what he is doing) to an office that had a small sense of design.  The new office had the sense of design that most people in the world have, that design is to just make something  look “good.”  As I spent more time working there I was able to show my boss that design isn’t just cheesy catch lines and arraigning images on a poster well. Good design is well thought out and simple, but elegant ways to get the point across instead of the cheesy catch lines like, Does your resume stink, and putting a photo of a girl holding a dead fish. Design is so much more than that it has a purpose.

Another lesson that I learned while working for a boss with no design background was that you have to make your clients happy even if you don’t like the idea. While working I had to do a lot of projects for a lady who thought she new what looked good. I couldn’t convince her of anything else and her favorite font was Papyrus. Everything had to be in papyrus and she new that it looked good. I gave this client many options that were well designed and looked a lot better than what she first suggested. Sometimes non-designers think they know what looks best when they really don’t. 

In the end I had to learn to design with Papyrus. I know that the projects I did for her will never go into my portfolio and didn’t look good at all, but I had to learn to work with the client and make a poster with smelly resumes and photos of dead fish and using papyrus.  We as designers have to learn to work with what we get and make it look, as good as we can and sometimes it isn’t easy. Any designer, who can make papyrus look really good, is an amazing designer and I would love to learn from them.

 Don’t design only to look good

It is important to design for a reason and not to just use something because it looks good.  In Robert Bringhurst book Elements of typographic style; he explains how good design is thought all the way through. The design of the type is just as important as the composition and the subject. We really should use a typeface that fits our design not just because it looks good but also because it fits the concept of our design. 

Web design is just as important as print or any other parts of design. Websites are to improve communication and to help people find information. Websites were a new type of design and included headers, navigation and footers, thing that had never existed before. Since the beginning of web design, many changes have been made and now there are so many more options to choose from. So many more choices in typefaces are being offered, even though the choices are still limited, design is improving a lot.  

Same as print and other types of Graphic Design, in web design the functionality is just as important. The function of web design is very important to understand navigation. Now sites can be an interactive experience that looks good.  Designers can now solve problems involving the navigation and moving through pages of a site, which is a very new experience.

Though my experience, the best web design are the simple but easy to navigate. The sites that use all the bells and whistles of design, too many drop shadows and Photoshop filters are very crazy and not very easy to understand and not thought through.  Instead a well-designed site explores new and exciting graphics with surprising images.

 The best design will be when the designers and web developers work together to understand each other. When that happens completely, the web will be a much better looking place because there will be so many more choices and opportunities for some beautiful sites. As people experiment and learn more about web design the web will start to look better and better.

We have read plenty of articles about good design, design principles and best practices. After examining my own experiences and what lessons I have learned, I found that I have come a long way. What has working in the design world taught me? Here are a few tidbits.

Form over function
Many would argue that there are two basic camps. Those who put the form of things over how they work, then there are those who would much rather have something work, but don’t care for the aesthetics. Good design (form) must serve a function, not just please the eye. The very heart of the word design implies thought and planning. Many of the best designs are derived from deep research and problem solving in mind. Whether the problem is communication, ergonomics, environmental or otherwise; a good design usually follows a process and brings a solution that is pleasing. Designers are challenged with the task of marrying the world of function with the world of form. A good designer will not sacrifice one for the other, but will make a seamless representation of how it should be. Though there may be several solutions to a problem, some seem to fit better and address the issues in a more pleasing way. Graphic design is not form over function.

Making it look pretty
Designers are often asked to take something that isn’t designed and “make it look pretty”.
It is a common misconception that designers just make things look better. This statement has often made me think about my role as a designer. How can I bring meaning, usability or order to something that has none? How can I bring reason to something that appears to be madness? It takes more than a magic artistic wand-wave to fix most design problems. Graphic design is not just “making it look pretty.”

Cheap computer tricks
I recently managed a client project for a local business. My group’s job was to provide a promotional CD for their trade shows. I entrusted a portion of the design to a student who thought he was a “designer”. When I got his work back it looked so bad that it could not be presented to the client. He used some cheap Illustrator tricks that did not serve any function and were distracting to what we were trying to say. Not only was the composition a mess, but the project was off track. The most frustrating thing was that the student actually believed that he was truly being artistic. I used to believe that by learning every hot key or every Photoshop trick, that I would be a good designer. The truth is the computer is a tool that can be used, but it does not complete the design for us. The use of design principles and clean concepts can’t be replaced by a magic button. Good graphic design is not as easy as live trace.

What the client says goes
Lets face it, clients are how designers make a living. They have a need and we fill it. But when they ask us to jump, is it wise to say how high? Clients don’t always know what they want or need. In my opinion it is a fallacy to believe that the buck stops at what the client says. Experience, a well-trained eye, and some confidence can go a long way. A confident and cool designer is better equipped to offer alternatives. An informed designer can steer a client away from pitfalls and save them money. There is a fine balance between boot licking and all out design autonomy. In the end the client is the chief decision maker. Their business is just that. It is our job as designers to provide well-designed options and to advise with experience. Good design should not give in to hasty or uniformed decision makers.

Art
Contrary to popular belief graphic design is not Art. In The Complete Graphic Designer, Ryan Hembree says:

Fine art is typically self serving, personally motivated, and expressive. The true artist explores social issues, makes a statement, or presents viewers with images of the world around them. Although most artists hope to sell their work to people who connect with their art on an emotional or visual level, the art is usually created for personal reasons rather than for a specific buyer. Graphic design, on the other hand , is a vocation involving the creation of visual communication on behalf of a paying client with very specific needs.

Graphic designers don’t work for themselves, they work for the client. This makes client relations a large part of the job. One of the most important questions a designer can ask a client is “What do you want to say?”. The business of design becomes the means of visual communication for the client. Communicating in behalf of someone else is a worthy challenge, but at no point is it art. Graphic design is not art.

Hopefully this article doesn’t ruffle your feathers or challenge your thinking. If it does, I would like to hear about it. What do you disagree with? What could I have said better? What might your experience have taught you- that I do not yet know? Do share.

There are many different worlds within the world we live. These worlds are established by the fact that all people are confined to what they can perceive. We all view the environment around us differently from one another. As people we attempt to bridge these gaps between our own persona’s through communication. Some tools we use as human beings include; words, music, and visual art. What something means, varies from person to person, even if those people are speaking the “same” language. This the great challenge we face when communicating. An article on the University of Wolverhampton concerning communication in nursing, states “When you communicate you perceive the other persons responses and react with your own thoughts and feelings.” Perceiving is where we can get into trouble. If I am to mis-perceive or misunderstand someone, what ever form of communication they may be using, it often results in a conflict.

Since man began, man has been trying to better express himself with communication. From spoken word, to engravings, to writing, advances in paper, printing presses, telegraphs, radio, TV, internet, etc. Each of these has done their part in expanding and also limiting communication.. It would be much easier for me today to communicate with a friend from England than 10 years ago. Why do we invest so much time into communication? Why not just stop with the cell phone? Isn’t that good enough?

Communication technology is trying to cover the largest are possible while still being specific to the individual. Take facebook for example; They can customize the ads they send to each individual user. In a sense this gives each individual user a unique experience. Just think what advertising could accomplish if they could literally tap into the human mind and directly read what a person was thinking. The business man would see that someone was really wanting to eat some peanut butter and would know exactly what to sell to that person. The business man would simply have to visualize in his own mind whatever he wanted to communicate to the potential buyer of the peanut butter. Or maybe this business man would choose to hire someone who was schooled in the field of visual concept development. This would be much more direct than a facebook side bar ad. A married couple would avoid hours of arguing by simply saying this is what I am thinking, “here tap into my mind“, that way there would be no misunderstandings in what one was trying to communicate.

Of course this brings up the issue of privacy and human rights. This would completely change the world just as other advances in communication have. Just look how the advent of the internet has affected copy right laws in the entertainment industry. Now a lot of this sounds like something out of a science fiction novel. But I think it is more familiar thn most might think.

We have been reading about this more direct form of communication for thousands of years. One could say that the whole Bible is based upon it. Other religious texts are rich with accounts of this spiritual communication. These records account for two main kinds of spiritual communication. The first generally involves man being given temptations. Thoughts are placed in a person mind in an attempt to persuade them to do something that the one placing thoughts wants them to do. The second form of communication, the good side of it is much more powerful. God, our father in heaven can communicate with us directly as well, even more directly. We can ask him questions and receive direct answers. We have the ability to tap in to something much more powerful than the internet. The way we receive these answers is unique, and the greatest, most clear form of communication, better than words or sight. This is the Holy Ghost, a perfect testifier of truth.

Now I understand that some of these principles seem very basic. But too often are these basic facts overlooked, even at a Latter Day Saint college. This is the most powerful tool in benefiting the human race through communication. It is remarkable that people have the tendency to worry about the speed of their internet connection before they even think about how clearly they are communicating with God. Just think how a direct line to someone who knows and comprehends all things would increase the knowledge and understanding of one another in a society. It is unfathomable. It makes the internet look like a joke. What an advantage it is to be able to access this capability. It should be on the top of everyone’s got to have list.

In the end communication goes back to one of these two sources. It either comes from darkness or from light. We as people need to be aware of this if we ever expect to communicate effectively. If we are not aware of this we risk to serve as the mouth piece for false light.