Uploaded July 2023 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
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Become a patron of my channel: patreon.com/JohnMauriello
Sign up to learn more about the design book that we're going to publish: studioello.com/mail
Buy the books I used to research this video. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALL OF THEM. "Influence" was my favorite, though:
"Influence" by Robert Cialdini: amzn.to/3PPOYOj
"Alchemy" by Rory Sutherland: amzn.to/3JRVgJq
"The Brand Gap" by Marty Neumeier: amzn.to/44dx9gB
Check out my online industrial design course, Form Fundamentals: bit.ly/335vsqO
Join my discord channel: discord.gg/hFw55nh
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/john_mauriello
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As we navigate through the world, we are constantly being influenced by subtle design tactics that most of us aren't even aware of. These branding tactics can be found everywhere - in the layout of your favorite store, the colors of a pop-up ad, or even the design of your favorite app. But it's not just about understanding these principles. It's about considering the ethics behind their use, questioning the motives, and equipping ourselves to recognize and resist manipulation.
Editing by Brad Heath: twitter.com/brad_heath_
Big shout out to Marc Levinson and Kyle Dexheimer for reading over my script and giving feedback on it!
All content directed and written by John Mauriello. John Mauriello has been working professionally as an industrial designer since 2010. He is an Adjunct Professor of industrial design at California College of the Arts.
Time stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:08 BS Continuum
1:38 Information Asymmetry (example from Rory Sutherland's book "Alchemy")
3:29 Emotional Alchemy (example from Rory Sutherland's book "Alchemy")
4:56 Tropical Storm: Visual Signaling
7:30 Seller Reputation & Trustworthiness (Sephora example and some other packaging examples from Rory Sutherland's book "Alchemy")
9:20 Category 1: The Debt of Kindness (Reciprocity as described in Cialdini's book "Influence". Envelope example is from Sutherland's book "Alchemy")
11:41 Category 2: Follow the Herd (Social Proof as described in Cialdini's book "Influence")
14:58 Ekster
15:57 Category 3: Obey Authority (Credibility as described in Cialdini's book "Influence")
18:58 Category 4: The Deception of Exclusivity (Scarcity as described in Cialdini's book "Influence")
22:41 Category 5: Misguided Loyalty (Unity as described in Cialdini's book "Influence")
28:40 Brutally Honest Manipulation
31:43 Creating Meaning
33:32 Education vs Manipulation
36:58 What's the Most Manipulative Brand?
(featured at around the 37 min mark) Hall of the Mountain King by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Get your Ekster wallet @ shop.ekster.com/designtheory & get 25% off with code "DESIGN" at checkout!
Become a patron of my channel: patreon.com/JohnMauriello
Sign up to learn more about the design book that we're going to publish: studioello.com/mail
Buy the books I used to research this video. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ALL OF THEM. "Influence" was my favorite, though:
"Influence" by Robert Cialdini: amzn.to/3PPOYOj
"Alchemy" by Rory Sutherland: amzn.to/3JRVgJq
"The Brand Gap" by Marty Neumeier: amzn.to/44dx9gB
Check out my online industrial design course, Form Fundamentals: bit.ly/335vsqO
Join my discord channel: discord.gg/hFw55nh
Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/john_mauriello
Follow my Instagram: instagram.com/mauriellodesign
Follow me on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mauriellojohn
As we navigate through the world, we are constantly being influenced by subtle design tactics that most of us aren't even aware of. These branding tactics can be found everywhere - in the layout of your favorite store, the colors of a pop-up ad, or even the design of your favorite app. But it's not just about understanding these principles. It's about considering the ethics behind their use, questioning the motives, and equipping ourselves to recognize and resist manipulation.
Editing by Brad Heath: twitter.com/brad_heath_
Big shout out to Marc Levinson and Kyle Dexheimer for reading over my script and giving feedback on it!
All content directed and written by John Mauriello. John Mauriello has been working professionally as an industrial designer since 2010. He is an Adjunct Professor of industrial design at California College of the Arts.
Time stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:08 BS Continuum
1:38 Information Asymmetry (example from Rory Sutherland's book "Alchemy")
3:29 Emotional Alchemy (example from Rory Sutherland's book "Alchemy")
4:56 Tropical Storm: Visual Signaling
7:30 Seller Reputation & Trustworthiness (Sephora example and some other packaging examples from Rory Sutherland's book "Alchemy")
9:20 Category 1: The Debt of Kindness (Reciprocity as described in Cialdini's book "Influence". Envelope example is from Sutherland's book "Alchemy")
11:41 Category 2: Follow the Herd (Social Proof as described in Cialdini's book "Influence")
14:58 Ekster
15:57 Category 3: Obey Authority (Credibility as described in Cialdini's book "Influence")
18:58 Category 4: The Deception of Exclusivity (Scarcity as described in Cialdini's book "Influence")
22:41 Category 5: Misguided Loyalty (Unity as described in Cialdini's book "Influence")
28:40 Brutally Honest Manipulation
31:43 Creating Meaning
33:32 Education vs Manipulation
36:58 What's the Most Manipulative Brand?
(featured at around the 37 min mark) Hall of the Mountain King by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
