Last night, I passed by a beautiful, large home. The hallway behind its front door was illuminated. In a split-second, I got a feeling about the space. The wall color and the temperature of the fluorescent light made it look like a prison cell. Or perhaps an old locker room.

I’m sure the home is quite lovely. But my experience points to the power of “What does this remind you of?” Everything we see reminds us of something, whether we can pinpoint the source or not. Even beyond sight — everything we sense has the potential to remind us of something we’ve experienced.

All the more reason to ask ourselves the question when we’re building, designing, and creating: What does this remind you of?

It’s a good tool for creative wayfinding.