010 Archetypes
Universal patterns of form, social role, and story that have innate appeal.
• People are instinctively drawn to certain patterns. Such patterns are often referred to as archetypes.
• Interest in archetypal patterns provided our early human ancestors with an adaptive advantage. Modern humans have inherited this interest.
• Archetypal forms include faces, horns and canine teeth, snakes, spiders, and sexual forms.
• Archetypal social roles include the hero, rebel, mentor, trickster, and villain.
• Archetypal stories include the quest, tragedy, voyage and return, and conquering the monster.
• Consider appropriate archetypes in your designs to capture and hold attention.
See Also Affordance • Black Effects • Contour Bias Mimicry • Supernormal Stimulus • Threat Detection
