A Philosophy of the Beautiful

Aesthetics as described in the dictionary is a word for “a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of the beautiful and with judgments concerning beauty.”

Aesthetics is only about 10% of what design is about, but that 10% is arguably the most important.  Not in its depth of meaning, but it the way in which aesthetics creates our initial impressions of the work. 

Our first impression of a work doesn’t generally come from an immediate sense of the designer’s ethics or what he or she intended for us to take away from it, it comes from the attractiveness of the formation, or the colors that make it pleasing to the eye.    Aesthetics is what gives us our feelings of happiness or sadness, connection or confusion, wonder or boredom when we see it. 

Image from http://www.dragoart.com/popup/4431/p.htm

Only after these initial impressions are made do we consider the designer’s intentions.    

Sometimes a designer’s intention is to make one see an object, space, or idea in a different light, other times it is to reflect something about something else (the list of possible intentions goes on and on). No matter a designer’s intention, however, it is our impression of a piece that makes us interested in considering the work’s purpose and meaning… or not.

Sometimes a work is appreciated, sometimes it isn’t, but a good portion of the answer to the question of whether it will be depends on an observer’s perception and leading impression that is derived from an work’s aesthetics.

Art doesn’t always require the approval of the masses to be created, which is may be the draw.  Artists can create to create.  Design, however, relies greatly on aesthetics, that’s the simple truth.  Designers generally need the approval of at least a group of people to have a design be successful.  Though much more has to be considered (ethics, etc.), aesthetics is what hits people first.  It is the first hurdle.  Once someone likes a design’s aesthetics, it becomes much easier to get them to listen and consider the other aspects of a proposal.  

That is, at least, my understanding of aesthetics so far.  I am not for a second, however, oblivious to the very real possibility that I have only scratched the surface.  I know my understanding will be a journey, but I'm ready to take it.