It’s clear that our desire for multisensory experiences hasn’t faded with time. If anything, it’s evolved and become even more important now in our digital world overflowing with content and our shrinking attention spans. In the pre-digital age, interaction with visual design was multisensory and personal. With print, for instance, we interacted with the scent of ink, the weight and texture of the page, the way we folded, annotated, or tore out pages, and the way the paper sounded.
Before the digital era, designers were already exploring more ways to break the flatness of the page and trigger other senses besides vision. We had scratch-and-sniff perfume ads, pop-up books, textured prints, or zines you could fold, rip, and collage. These tactile and olfactory elements made print design personal and memorable.
Video by Newberry Library, 2023
Fast forward to today, and technology has offered new ways to reimagine those multisensory experiences digitally. Techniques such as haptic feedback, responsive animations, kinetic typography, sound effects, Augmented Reality (AR) features, and gamification elements are becoming integral to the designer’s toolkit. When combined thoughtfully, these layers can turn abstract ideas or flat visuals into multisensory experiences where users can explore or manipulate content.
For example, haptic feedback can enhance a digital poster, like a music festival graphic, with vibrations mimicking a beat when tapped. ASMR sound effect, like a rustle, can enrich a static magazine cover.
Responsive animations and kinetic typography, such as a logo morphing or text animating in an infographic built with tools like Figma or Adobe After Effects, can add dynamic motion to static visuals.
AR, powered by tools like Meta Spark, can add a 3D interaction turning a static Instagram ad into a virtual try-on filter or an application like Artvive, can animate a gallery poster’s artwork when scanned.
These interactive layers, such as motion, sound, clickable elements, and multimedia enhancements, transform static visuals into dynamic, user-driven experiences. According to research, integrating interactivity into visual content can significantly improve how we engage with information (Ismaeel & Al Mulhim, 2021). This study found that interactive infographics not only boosted academic achievement, especially among reflective learners, but also enhanced cognitive processing by catering to different learning styles. This is supported by dual coding theory, which suggests that people learn more effectively when verbal and visual information is presented together through multiple sensory channels (Clark & Paivio, 1991).
By allowing users to manipulate elements, receive feedback, or navigate content at their own pace, these interactive layers create a sense of control and immersion, key factors in both user engagement and accessibility.
The designer today needs to be an author creating rather than representing experiences
What does this mean for visual communication professionals? Essentially, it requires an interdisciplinary approach that combines art, psychology, technology, and strategy. Besides the new technical skills, such as coding basics, animation, AR/VR design tools, and the ability to build or collaborate within motion design environments, the designer today needs to be “an ‘author’ creating rather than representing experiences” (Hassenzahl, 2014). For visual design, this means evolving far beyond aesthetics. The designer in the digital world needs to be a UX storyteller. This includes considering how the overall design behaves, feels, responds, and unfolds over time. They need be someone who constructs the entire experience the user will go through and be able to explore possible futures. Understand their audience’s emotional drivers, and behavioral patterns. Switching from traditional linear design process of brief, concept, execution, to a circular and iterative, consisting of repeated cycles of research, testing, and refining to improve the user experience at every stage (Babich, 2017).
“Good design is as little design as possible. Less, but better – because it concentrates on the essential aspects, and the products are not burdened with non-essentials.
Dieter Rams Photograph by Abisag Tüllmann
The primary mission for visual communicators remains the same: to create work that communicates clearly, purposefully, and memorably. Dieter Rams, a renowned designer, highlighted that good design should be invisible (Vitsœ, 2025). It should feel natural and intuitive to engage with. Just because we have these new multidimensional tools at our disposal doesn’t mean these elements need to overwhelm our design. As designers and communicators, we need to prioritize mindfulness and purpose, using them to embed meaning and value instead of distracting with flashy effects.
References
Babich, N. (2017, Nov 04). Moving from graphic design to UX design: The complete guide to career change. Adobe Blog, https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2017/09/04/ux-design-for-graphic-designers
Clark, J. M., & Paivio, A. (1991). Dual coding theory and education. Educational Psychology Review, 3(3), 149–210. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01320076
Hassenzahl, M. (2014, Jan 1). User experience and experience design. The Encyclopedia of Human-Computer Interaction, 2nd Ed., https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/book/the-encyclopedia-of-human-computer-interaction-2nd-ed/user-experience-and-experience-design
Ismaeel, D., & Al Mulhim, E. (2021). The influence of interactive and static infographics on the academic achievement of reflective and impulsive students. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 37(1), 147–162. 10.14742/ajet.6138
Vitsœ. (2025). The power of good design. https://www.vitsoe.com/us/about/good-design
