DESIGNING SYN
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SYNESTHETIC ART & DESIGN
INTRODUCTION
Designing Syn is a deep dive into how our brains process multisensory media. It is a scientific approach to design thinking that aims to provide designers with the tools to create meaningful, compelling, and cohesive synesthetic experiences.
CROSS MODAL TRANSLATION
Like an orchestra, each of our senses forms a symphony of every day experience.
Cross Modal Translation is how our brain translates one sense to another. We can assume textures through sight, assume the taste of baking bread through smell, or guage the size of an object by the sound it makes crashing to the floor.
Each sense in this symphony informs the other, the instruments blending together to form the world around us. Studying how our senses communicate and play with each other is like studying the sheet music of each section of an orchestra side by side.
RESEARCHING CROSS MODAL TRANSLATION
Research in CMT has gone back to the 1920’s, and interest in synesthetic experiences were first recorded in Greek antiquity. However, much of the early research regarding synesthetic experiences has been muddled by speculation, pseudoscience, and New Age mysticism.
CMT provides a new path through the complicated waters of visual perception and sound psychology. With this new research, we can take a closer look at how our brains process auditory and visual pairings in art and design.
If you are interested in the research used to create this project, you can check out the bibliography on this webpage, or view the booklet from the exhibition.
SYNESTHETICS IN ART AND DESIGN
Synesthetics and CMT research do not just belong in a capstone project. It is a tool to be used in a variety of applications.Art directors can use CMT to make sure that their sonic and visual branding is cohesive
A curator might work with artists to pair soundscapes with their installments.
An artist might pair music with their art to ensure that those with visual or hearing impairments can share the same experience the artist intends to convey.
WHY USE SCIENCE IN ART AND DESIGN?
Synesthetics is a tool for creative minds to think more intentionally about their work.
Scientific research and psychology can act as a second set of eyes on creative work for an artist or designer and can lead to more interesting, compelling, and cohesive solutions.