Design is everywhere and it doesn't have limits or age. Even though styles change over time, and new trends come into picture, a design never gets old, but rather it stands out because it is different. We first come into contact with design right after we are born, but we just don't have the ability to recollect those memories.
My first vivid memory of my encounter with a designed object is my first backpack. I got it when I was seven, and even though so much time has passed since then, I still remember every single aspect and detail of it. It was square shaped, and probably bigger than I was at the time. Maybe I am exagerating a little here, but it was definitely a big one. It was made out of plastic,and on each side there were two red "cat eyes", made out of reflective material.
The reason I was attracted to this backpack from the begining, it was because of its color and design. On the outside, as well as on the inside, the alternating bright and dark colors were creating a contrast that captured my eyes from the moment I saw it in the store. Its vivid blue, very bright background made the figurines and cartoon characters painted on it, stand out. Yellow, pink, red, green and purple cats, dogs and other animals had a 3D appearence. On the left side, there was the cat Tom, chasing Jerry, the mouse, from Tom and Jerry, two characters that filled my childhood with joy. On the top part of the backpack, Snow White was surrounded by the Seven Dwarfs. In the middle, there were two fluorescent cat eyes, providing safety for the night time. The animals inscriptioned on the backpack, were meant to bring students closer to the Disney World, giving at the same time, a lesson about how important it is to appreciate the animals and protect them. Design here blends together, in a very successful manner, beauty and usefullness.
On the inside, the backpack contained a pencil box, a little wallet, and a lunch box. It was designed not only for carrying school supplies, but serve other needs as well. The color on the inside was a yellow that brightened up my life from the moment I got the backpack until the memont I decided to get rid of it, by the consideration that I was too old for so many colors and cartoon characters. It didn't take me long after to realize that giving it away was a big mistake.
The design of the backpack with its shape, multitude of colors, figurines, and Disney characters was very well thought through. It created a balance between school elements and fun. It was perfectly suited for a first grader,whose mind was at the cartoon characters, rather than at school. My first backpack is an example of the fact that design is everywhere and, as a matter of fact, is very powerful. From the day we are born, we are exposed to designs of all kinds, many times, we are not even aware of it. Sometimes, a shape, a color, or a pattern, captures our eyes for just a moment...other times...it marks us forever!
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