Picked Paul Sahre’s ‘Two Dimensional Man’ off the shelf yesterday - admittedly was looking for something else, but noticed the dust jacket was tucked half way in - and came across the line 

“Graphic designers have always been interested in interaction”

on that page. I’ve had the book since new (published in 2017) and must have happened upon the page and line… aaannddddd then completely forgotten about it. 

Sahre’s document of his life in design is a good read, but what struck was I’d just happened on a thing called the Lombard effect (a reflex really), which is “ is the involuntary tendency of speakers to increase their vocal effort when speaking in loud noise.” The thing was captured (or discovered if you prefer) in 1909 by a French otolaryngologist (now, there’s a word!) Étienne Lombard.

‘But what’s the connection?’ I can hear you shouting. Sahre’s observation was that the things we do didn’t always used to rely on somebody clicking, touching or swiping at something on (well, just under) the surface. Design was always about finding ways to click with people. It’s always been participative, regardless of the medium. 

It’s just sometimes we seem bemused that anyone would want to go to the trouble of making the thing an object, or that making actual things (including books, posters, kettles) seems a quaint remove from most graphic designers (well, not you lucky people in packaging, obviously) are engaged in with our clients. 

There has always - is always - a soul in things. Sometimes in the din of digital it can be harder to hear them. Maybe take out the ear buds and have a listen yeah?