Designing for Multiple Personalities

What’s your personality? A tough question to answer, so tests like Myers-Briggs have made it easy to do with a few simple clicks. This particular test drops you into one of 16 different combinations of personality. You could be an extrovert or introvert, which seems pretty straight-forward. If you are an extrovert, you draw energy from the outside world, while an introvert is energized by having time to themselves. The next dichotomy is whether you are sensing or use intuition. If you are more sensing, you typically believe the information you get from the outside world, whereas those who are more intuitive believe the information they receive from their own imagination or internal dialogue. The third grouping determines whether you rely on thinking or feeling. Thinkers analyze choices and decide using logic, while a feeler tends toward past experience and emotion to make a decision. Finally, whether you judge or perceive determines how you move forward once you have evaluated your options. If you tend toward judging, then you prefer to organize, make a plan and then stick with it, and if you tend toward perceiving you choose to go with the flow and see what options pop up along the way.

 

 

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There is data to suggest that we surround ourselves with what enhances our personality. We also feel more positively within an environment tailored to our needs. As a designer, getting to know a client can tell you a great deal about what their preferred environment looks like. For example, upon meeting a potential client for lunch, noting that they are wearing bold or contrasting colors provides a cue that they are likely an extrovert. Their attire invites attention, whereas, the opposite could be said of someone choosing muted hues. When looking at design within the commercial setting, a designer must be aware of meeting the needs of multiple personalities.

Open and conversational living area. An extravert’s dream! Image via: Culligan Abraham Architecture

Space planning is an essential part of design, but the effects of how an area is arranged can have a positive or negative effect depending on personality. Data shows that the idea of personal space can follow our cultural roots, but in general those we allow to be closest to us are more intimate friends or family. The further the distance between individuals, the less we know that individual. In terms of designing spaces where many are gathered; such as a waiting area, a designer should make allowances for individuals that prefer privacy. Including occasional tables and planters can create boundaries for people who need more personal space. At the same time, offering a seating arrangement that is more open invites extroverts to take comfort in their ability to socialize and reach out to those that share their traits.

 

Moving further into the effects of personality on preferred design aesthetics, a Sensor in the Myers-Briggs test appreciates well-organized, formal and symmetrical spaces. While, the Intuitive personality on the opposite end of the spectrum does not necessarily appreciate the opposite, there is more attention paid to the meaning behind things with which they surround themselves. Likely, there is a greater focus on layering materials and comfort, as opposed to strict organization. Providing both personalities with what meets their needs within the same space presents a challenge for the designer.

A private reading nook layered with antique linens. Image via: Aiken House & Gardens

 

What may seem like minor details can add to or diminish an individual’s experience within a space. One study notes the location of an entry point, whether it immediately opens into a larger space, or enters into a corridor or hallway prior to reaching a larger space. Not surprising, extraverts were more inclined to appreciate a door that enters directly into a larger space, such as a front door opening immediately into a living room. We could infer that the same might be true of an extravert entering immediately to a full waiting room at a doctor’s office. Further, they are less inclined to be disturbed by closer connections between public and private spaces, like a living room with a powder bathroom immediately connected. Both of these situations could be very unnerving for an introvert.

Waiting area with both individual and group seating. Image via: Emmett Phair Construction

A quality designer must take into account both who they are designing for and the intended outcome for the space. When designing a residence, you are more likely to consider the homeowner’s personality and preferences, while designing for commercial environments requires consideration of all personality types. At the end of the day, designers are required to be creative problem solvers!

Sources:

Clemons, S. A., & Searing, E. E. (2004). Perception of sense of place in interiors. Journal of Cultural Research in Art Education, 22, 57-68. Retrieved from http://proxy144.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/205854158?accountid=13429

Matthews, Hill, Duncan Case & Allisma (2015). Personal Bias: The Influence of Personality Profile on Residential Design Decisions. Housing and Society Journal, 1-24. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08882746.2010.11430578

Wilson, H. K., & Cotgrave, A. (2016). Factors that influence students’ satisfaction with their physical learning environments. Structural Survey, 34(3), 256-275. Retrieved from http://proxy144.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1809587147?accountid=13429

Kopec, D. (2012). Environmental Psychology for Design (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Fairchild Books.

Color-Full

Summer has come and gone, all too soon it seems…unless you’re a design student! Ha! Truly a tough eight weeks for me, but the end product for my retail design project felt like a big win. The assignment was to choose a high-end retailer and create a fresh look for a brick and mortar store. I chose Kate Spade New York because her brand is all about a clean and modern look, that doesn’t take itself too seriously. To start, I researched the brand and began assembling inspirational images on a mood board. The idea of a mood board is to convey the overall feeling you are looking for within the space.

The first photo I found is shown in the mood board below and it’s a picture of Jackie Kennedy laughing with her hair blowing in the wind. I felt this image was spot-on in keeping with the brand. Further developing my concept, I decided on the idea of an “urban escape.” The store needed to feel like a vacation from the everyday grind.

Mood Board

After creating the mood board and developing the concept, I started sketching ideas for how to display the designer bags within the store. My first thought was to use the New York City skyline with the bags acting as the multiple windows in the buildings. Further pushing the idea of the city, I decided on a fire escape display to provide the focal point upon entering the store. Bags could be displayed on the stairs of the fire escape and it would provide a spot for changing merchandising signage and accessories depending on the campaign. These are rough conceptual sketches, not intended to be the final product, just gives an idea of direction.

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So, with a firm concept and good ideas for how to display the merchandise, I began choosing the furnishings and fixtures that would go into the store. Going back to Kate Spade’s brand, I decided clean-lined pieces with some color injected were the best bet. In addition to the furniture, I wanted to add varied flooring, wall and ceiling treatments to bring texture and a little bit of the unexpected into the store. A few favorite features of mine include custom leather “Starflower” wall tiles by Spinneybeck in black and white to provide a high contrast pop. Covering the concrete posts in the front of the store was also a challenge, and I decided to bring in the outdoors by using a living boxwood treatment to wrap the columns.

For the furniture I kept it clean, but injected fun using a black and white stripe cabana fabric for a tete a’ tete and a punchy yellow and white polka dot fabric for the swing chair I hung from the fire escape. The balance of furnishings I kept simple and classic, using woods and brass to warm up the space and balance the marble and terrazzo flooring. In the end, I feel the space follows the brand’s statement to “Live Colorfully.”