Different Types Of Evidence-Based Design
There’s Evidence-based Design, and then there’s NOT Evidence-based Design.
Here are a few evidence-based design art guidelines. Many of these guidelines come from “A Guide to Evidence-based Art” from The Center For Health Design, research by Ulrich and Gilpin, a case study on best practices in evidence-based design by the Mays Clinic at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, and so much more.
Landscapes
They can be regional, generic, or seasonal. They should have visual depth or open foreground. Trees should have a broad canopy. Savannah and park-like landscapes are preferred by many. Vegetation should be lush. Empty park benches and sunsets should be avoided. The empty park bench might remind someone of loss and loneliness. A sunset might represent the end of life.
Florals
Florals should include familiar shapes of plants and flowers. They should appear healthy and fresh, and flower colors should be vibrant. Gardens and bouquet styles are acceptable. Flowers in vases should be used sparingly and only for variety.
Taking scientific or medical study results and turning them into artistic creations is not the easiest thing to do. There are no step-by-step guides to follow, and the rules need to be there, but sometimes they need a little bending.
The painting above, Healing Flowers, spent time on exhibit in a museum and then in a gallery. It recently sold, in 2025, to an art collector in Fort Worth, Texas. Also, in Jan/Feb 2025, it was featured on the cover of Healthcare Design Magazine. In addition, in 2024, I was also asked to show it in another issue of Healthcare Design Magazine issue. On one international art gallery website, this painting received thousands of views.
While creating it, I tried to adhere to the evidence-based landscape design guidelines for healthy outcomes. By following the rules, I figured I could trigger the brain to create dopamine, which would produce in its viewers feelings of happiness.
If you look closely, you can see through the stems, which gives viewers visual depth. According to the research, seeing through the stems helps humans feel safe. It takes us back to our days of hunting on the Savannah, where dangerous animals could hide in thick grass and then attack us. While the stems were thin, I ensured the flowers appeared lush and abundant. Again, this would suggest an abundance of food.
Healing Abundance by Dorothea Sandra, EDAC
Using the same evidence-based design guidelines, Healing Abundance also sold in early 2025. It was sold from a gallery in Paris, France, and shipped to a company in Hong Kong with television channels in Hong Kong, mainland China, Macau, and other Chinese-speaking areas. The soil and stems are there, but I wanted to add lush vegetation through the flowers.
Years ago, when I was living in Asia, a good friend who was also a medical doctor ended up in the hospital. I went to visit her with a bouquet of cut flowers in hand. After she got out of the hospital, she told me that a bouquet of flowers was not the best gift. A potted plant would have been more appropriate. When I asked why, she explained that cut flowers will soon die, while a plant in soil continues to live on.
Most everything I do in the creation of an evidence-based design painting is for the health and happiness of viewers.
Inside Evidence-Based Design Art
If you walked past this painting in a healthcare hallway, would your brain receive a message of love without being overly impacted or stressed by the art?
I do not have the expertise of a neuroscientist or medical researcher or practitioner, but I do LOVE to study their evidence-based design results and find ways to experiment with them in art.
Symphonies Of Love Number 12 by Dorothea Sandra, EDAC
This painting was strategically and deliberately designed using evidence-based design principles and guidelines.
My first goal for this painting was to create a soothing, stress-free background. A large body of research is consistent with the proposition that humans are hard-wired to appreciate and benefit from exposure to nature. I chose the color green for the background because green gardens and parklike settings are acceptable in evidence-based design. I could have added some dabs or splatters to the background, but I decided a super smooth, flat background would create beauty without impact or stress.
My next goal was to decide on a composition. I chose the shape of a heart because I wanted to very clearly and very powerfully create a message that said, “You are loved.” I find too much evidence-based design art today wispy and without form. I think those designs are truly wonderful and quite celebratory of nature, but sometimes humans—especially children—need a clear, up-in-your-face message, especially of love.
Can you imagine a child in this patient bed? I think an image of a heart outperforms a typical biophilic design when it comes to encouraging feelings of love, safety, and care.
My third goal for this painting was to add some fine art flair. Nationally and internationally, people have begun to recognize my signature style of making flowers and they like them. As I am forming the flowers, I use a variety of art techniques to build in and create feelings of happiness and joy.
Keeping with my evidence-based design goal of beauty without impact, I very minimally added a pistil tip to each flower.
If you walked past this painting in a healthcare hallway, would your brain receive a message of love without being impacted or stressed by the art?
