The ‘Story of Stuff’ website is the perfect example of good design being used for persuasion. It is clean simple and so welcoming. I want to look around at the cute little drawings and see what they are discussing. ‘Oh? This is about working to make the world better through human engagement… I didn’t recognize it since it wasn’t over dramatic and cynical while shaming me for accidentally throwing away a water bottle five years ago instead of recycling it.’
I am more proud and thankful for my Brita water bottle after watching one of these videos. It is easy to pretend I’m doing my part by recycling… But that isn’t true. I never really thought or cared what happened to the recycling. The video does a good job of going beyond the topic and challenging what we already know.
As I previously joked, I feel that the website and video all make a good choice in using drawings. Real footage of this damage would not be nearly as effective or flow together. This was a risk as well since the drawings could have made it too light hearted and difficult to connect to. For me personally, the video made it easy for me to connect to the issue while not attacking me. I also wasn’t pressured into doing anything outside of being more aware. Sure they give other ways to be involved but ask nothing more of me than to be aware.
The additional resources provided on the website was a nice touch as well. The script is listed along with all the statical sources the video referenced. Updates about this project and related articles are streamed and a simple section of ‘Act. Learn. Share.’ are located directly beside the video. This is smart design since I am more likely to click on one of these options directly after seeing the video.
My only real concern is having Annie Leonard present in the video. I think it might be interesting to see how it could have been produced without her imagine. But kudos to her for starting such a cool project.
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