Gerontology and other seemingly irrelevant concepts

Earlier I said: "What is graphic design, and why is critical theory (embracing politics and sociology, semiotics and psychology, gerontology and any other 'ology' you care to mention) an essential part of studying it?"

Gerontology is, according to dictonary.com

The scientific study of the biological, psychological, and sociological phenomena associated with old age and aging.

When I mention this to students, initially I get blank stares. But after a bit of discussion it soon becomes clear to them why graphic designers (as well as all other types of designers) really should be clued up as to what things like gerontology mean.

Let me give you an example. In Why We Buy Paco Underhill discusses the fact that as we grow old our ability to perceive colours towards the yellow end of the spectrum diminishes. In practical examples, bearing in mind that Underhill's area of expertise is retail design, point of sale etc, this means that any products aimed at, or consumed by, people of a certain age should not depend on yellows or related shades to communicate information. Put simply, no yellow labels on drug packaging and so on.

Just that simple point is enough to get most graphic design students re-evaluating their initial scepticism of the value of what Rand calls "clutter".

Gerontology extends to early years as well. It is no accident that products aimed at very young children rely on bright, primary colours. Our eyes are not tuned in to subtle pastel shades in the first few years of our lives. Most of the world has been exposed to one of the UK's most, er, "interesting" exports recently, the Tellytubbies and their cousins the Tweenies. Only designers who were knowledgeable of the finer points of gerontology and child psychology could have come up with the things you see there.

And what of other issues to do with colour? Colour blindness affects one in 200 women, while a staggering 1 in 12 men suffer from it. The condition is quite complex but essentially it means anything that is predominantly blue will be problematic for a significant proportion of the population, especially male. Yet blue is a traditionally "male" colour. Hence, a graphic designer ignorant of this most basic accessibility point is quite likely to produce designs that are not going to work with nearly 10% of the male population.

The following comes from Stephen F. Austin State University's Psychology Deparmtent

"Tom" is typically an happy reader, but today he does not volunteer to read. His problem stems from the fact that the story is printed in blue with a purple background. "Tom" is unable to see the letters clearly and therefore, is unable to read with confidence. If a teacher is not educated in the area of colorblindness he or she may misdiagnose the problem, but if they are made aware of the possibility of color deficiencies, special measures can be taken to help students. Allowing "Tom" to read off of black and white copies of the story will help improve the contrast and allow him to read with confidence.


Since the effects of color blindness can be quite harmful, it is necessary to learn more about its effects on learning as well as teaching. Many teachers are not aware of the effects of color deficiencies in young children. If teachers were made aware of the potential problems of colorblindness, steps could be taken to aid the students with these deficiencies. It is often taken for granted that all children see in color. Books are printed in a variety of colors and with colorful graphics making them very appealing to the normal color-perceiving person. These publishing techniques make it difficult for the color-deficient student to see the material and to learn. Color is also incorporated with flannel boards, colored maps, transparencies, books with colored print, colored counting beads, and green or brown chalkboards (Sewell, 1983). There is no way a child who is unable to see the material will be able to process and learn it.


Problems with contrast can contribute to the learning issues of the visually-disabled student. A child may not actually display all the characteristics of colorblindness but may not be able to distinguish certain colors apart such as gray and black. This identification problem can also slow down the learning process. Many teachers have modified their teaching in order to accommodate the color deficient child. These modifications are really small considering the lasting effects they will have on the child's future. Some of these modifications include labeling with words or symbols when the child needs color recognition, increasing the contrast by using white chalk on a black board, being aware of "trouble" areas, and by making black and white copies of colored text. By simply incorporating these techniques, a teacher can radically alter a child's performance in academics (Lewis, et al 1990). The sooner the color deficiency can be identified the sooner accommodation can be made to help the child.

Paul Rand, as I mentioned earlier, seems to believe all the above is "bewildering" to the typical design student. How bewildering can it be to remember that as we age from infancy to our twilight years our colour perception changes, while for 1 in 12 men blue, green and in rarer cases red are perceived as grey? Not very, I would say, and hardly a burden for even the most skills-based graphic design curriculum.