Aesthetics in design.
How it looks.
how it makes me feel.
Aesthetics is a study of visual effects created in designs. Broadly, aesthetics refers to how designs look and feel. Designers create aesthetic qualities and effects by selecting and using the components of Visual Language in messages, objects, environments and interactive experiences. Aesthetics is closely linked to conceptions of Good Design in the way that these conceptions bear an influence on how ideas about aesthetic quality are framed in particular social, cultural, political and historical contexts. This page will explore the ways aesthetics are discussed in Visual Communication Design and give students a range of adjectives they can use to describe the aesthetics of designs.
How did I get it so wrong? Consider the design decisions that were made to create this funny airline branding. Can you find three bad choices that led to the completely opposite aesthetic effect from what would have been required? (Image adapted from: V_E@shutterstock.com)
WHAT IS AESTHETICS?
Aesthetics has a broad definition. Some define it as the study of beauty, the nature of art and good taste. However, for Visual Communication Design, aesthetics refers to a visual effect created in or on a design, using visual language including the design elements and principles and other visual components. Aesthetics is a key component in the tone and manner of a design, the successful communication of ideas, messages and meanings, the capacity to influence behaviours and evoke feelings and emotions and to create meaningful and engaging environments and interactive experiences for audiences and users. In short, how a designer selects and uses the components of visual language is a measure of the mastery of their craft.
We use adjectives to describe the aesthetics. These are used to summarise the ways visual components work together to create an effect. Two examples of adjectives used to describe aesthetics are rustic and futuristic.
Our study links the term with five further and sometimes related words. These are;
Aesthetic
- Impact
- Considerations
- Quality
- Appeal
- Decisions
The following sections will outline how each of these terms are used.
Aesthetic impact, aesthetic quality and aesthetic appeal
The fresco in the vault of the Church of St Ignatius by Andrea Pozzo, completed in 1685. One can only be overcome with awe when viewing this painting, floating overhead, forty metres in length inside this beautiful, quiet space. What is real? What has been fashioned to create the illusion of St Ignatius ascending to Heaven and coming face to face with God? (Image: the author).
Aesthetic impact
Aesthetic impact refers to the effect that a design has on a person, evoking feelings, emotions, or thoughts. For example, huge European cathedrals often have a profound aesthetic effect and inspire awe in a viewer.
Valley of the Temples: The Temple of Concordia, an ancient Greek Temple built in the 5th century BC, Agrigento, Sicily (Image: Mazerath@shutterstock.com
The grille (front silver part) on a Rolls Royce car was designed to have the aesthetic impact and appeal of an ancient Greek Temple. (Image: Thor Jorgen Udvang@shutterstock.com)
Aesthetic quality and aesthetic appeal
Aesthetic quality signifies the overall visual effect inherent in an object, environment or other form of design. Aesthetic quality can also refer to beauty. However, aesthetic preferences can vary greatly among individuals due to cultural, personal, and emotional factors. However, there are often shared cultural or societal standards of beauty and aesthetics within certain contexts. For example, conceptions of Good Design within one cultural and historical context exert a profound influence on the definition of aesthetics. One only needs to take a quick check of the winning designs on Good Designs Australia Awards from 2023 to see how present conceptions of Good Design in our part of the world, value clean-lined designs where form is influenced by function, as opposed to previous historical periods where decoration was considered a valuable feature.
Aesthetic appeal is a subjective concept that refers to the power of a design to attract or please the senses and emotions of an observer, making it visually or aesthetically pleasing. For example, the minimalist architecture of a modern house can hold a strong aesthetic appeal for those who appreciate simplicity in design.
It’s almost impossible to imagine how designs could be any cleaner and more minimal than these objects of pure form. Left and right; packaging and the first-generation Apple TV 4K, 2017 and centre; Apple Time Machine, 2007. The design of these objects, influenced by the conceptions of Good Design proposed by German industrial designer Dieter Rams in the 1970s, was overseen by Jonathan Ive, Apple’s Chief of Design 1997 - 2019.
Aesthetic considerations and decisions
Aesthetic considerations refer to an intention a client or designer may have had in order to guide a design towards a visual effect that is anticipated will satisfy the preferences of an audience member or user. Aesthetic considerations may be present in a brief.
Aesthetic considerations influence designers’ decisions by bearing on the way that they select and manipulate the Design Elements and Principles and use materials, methods and media. In other words, the choices designers make are influenced by their desire to create a particular visual effect. Students also refer to aesthetic considerations that were identified in their Design Evaluation Criteria, in order to evaluate ideas and make appropriate selections of concepts for resolution and solutions for presentation.
Aesthetics in action
Below are five different chairs. Each is designed to perform the same function; to support a person at a table. Yet, what makes them different from each other? Certainly, they are constructed in different ways and from different materials, but they are also different, aesthetically. They have different aesthetic qualities; they were designed with different aesthetic considerations in mind. Explore the images and try to find words that explain each different aesthetic quality or visual effect.
Word Bank
Below are one hundred useful adjectives that can be used to describe aesthetic qualities or visual effects. These can be used for the analysis of design and in students’ folio annotations.
Art Deco
Artistic
Artsy
Austere
Avant-garde
Bohemian
Bold
Brutal
Chic
Childish
Classic
Cluttered
Coastal
Cold
Cosy
Dainty
Decorative
Delicate
Distressed
Dreamy
Dynamic
Earthy
Eccentric
Eclectic
Edgy
Elegant
Ethereal
Exotic
Exquisite
Feminine
Fresh
Futuristic
Geometric
Glamorous
Gothic
Graceful
Gritty
Grungy
Masculine
Minimal
Modern
Monastic
Monochromatic
Moody
Muted
Neoclassical
Neolithic
No-frills
Nordic
Nouveau
Opulent
Organic
Ornamental
Ornate
Pastel-Coloured
Playful
Polished
Quaint
Radiant
Regal
Relaxed
Repurposed
Retro
Romantic
Rustic
Sculptural
Serene
Shabby Chic
Simple
Sleek
Sombre
Soothing
Sophisticated
Space-Age
Spacious
Stark
Streamlined
Structured
Textured
Timeless
Traditional
Tranquil
Tribal
Tropical
Ultra-modern
Urban
Vibrant
Vintage
Whimsical
Zen
Jump to
Principles of Good Design
Visual Language
task
Show I know ...
1.1 Aesthetic quality and appeal
Collect one design from each of the four Fields of Design that seem to have aesthetic qualities that appeal to you. Identify two or three components of Visual Language and explain how they have been used to create a visual effect.
1.2 Identify aesthetic qualities
Use one adjective from the list shown above to describe the aesthetic quality of each of the dining chairs shown on this page.
1.3 Aesthetic impact
Identify an image shown on this page that has the most aesthetic impact on you. Referring to components of Visual Language explain how the designer has created aesthetic impact.
1.4 Aesthetic considerations and decisions
Referring to one image shown on this page, identify one or two aesthetic considerations that may have been present in a brief or discussed with a client. Outline one design decision that was made to cater for an aesthetic consideration you identified.