So here's a question for you. Why do people like shiny things?
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About Me
- Richard Karsten
- I've spent my career bringing brands to life through a proven process that balances strategic thinking, creativity and practical implementation. Throughout my career, I have led powerful design and branding programs integrating graphic and industrial design. Along the way, I have been fascinated with color theory and how surface treatments affect the emotional impact of products, environments and graphic design. It's all in the details. Achromatic phenomena is a sub-set of color theory that I have been exploring for some time.
My own personal theory is that it harkens back to pre-historic days when early humans roamed the earth focusing their basic needs— food and shelter. Imagine the first moment when they leaned over a pool of water and saw there own likeness...what a magical moment. This is the same reason that we lust after a shiny car today. It's modern day magic because we can see the reflection of our moving world in the lateral sides of a brand new BMW.
ReplyDeleteI would assume that the importance of water to our survival plays a huge role. Those individuals most intrigued by water and all of its magical properties when joined with light, would perhaps have always kept water close and survived better in times of drought.
ReplyDeleteFire, in this way, may have a similar connection to our evolution, though not as deep seeded in our DNA. Many have said that man's tendency to walk towards fire rather than away, like all other animal, is what set us on a unique evolutionary path. Maybe fire is a the base of our lust for a whole other set of achromatic phenemena?
I feel it has something to do with the fact that the majority of material on the planet is matte. And it is matte with good reason, so to soak up all of the energizing rays and heat from the sun, our source of life. Anything shiny stands out in contrast, and perhaps because it shines it reminds us of the sun itself. It physically bounces rays of light back into our eyes, and like moths to a flame we become attracted to its energy, or more correctly the energy it is deflecting.
ReplyDeleteIn shiny things, you can see beyond the surface. You are drawn to another dimension right through the plane.
ReplyDeleteDiscovery of Own Likeness
ReplyDeleteAAH! You believe this neanderthal revelation was the seminal event to the narcissistic evolution that, among other things, now manifests itself in the form of long lines at the ladies rooms.
DG
There aren't many shiny things in the world so these things definitely stand out from the crowd. And perhaps like the sun, many of the shiny things we experience as part of the day to day, are positive symbols in our lives. It starts when we are young. We achieve gold stars in school and they serve as positive reinforcements of success. As we grow older, jewelry is often a reflection of who we are and "Gold Medals" symbolize our achievements in the adult world.
ReplyDeleteI like this:
ReplyDelete"Simply put, a shiny object is something that attracts people. If you can figure out a person’s shiny object, you can then determine how to appeal to them.
For thousands of generations, mankind has gazed at the night sky, fascinated by the billions of pinholes of light. Magnificent stories and legends have been written about the stars. Entire populations have based their religious beliefs on and tracked their future by the arrangement and movement of these heavenly shiny objects." - David LaBonte
I worry about this:
Is our animal behavior as humans different from other mammals, birds or insects?
"The glinting surfaces of asphalt roads, shiny cars and dark skyscraper windows are treacherous lures for a variety of creatures that use polarized light to guide their behavior, according to new research."
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/01/09/insects-city-traps.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090107092714.htm
shiny=energy like the energy of the sun, remini-
ReplyDeletescent of life force and therefore very attractive to us human beings
shine=health like healthy hair-- the opposite is dull, "lifeless"
shine=light and light allows reflection
shiny imparts a sense of clean, new or well taken care of