nyssahhhh's review against another edition
Read for DHA 1101W Intro to Design Thinking, Fall 2007 (I believe--can't remember exactly which course it was.)
Sentences I noted:
10: Aesthetics offers pleasure, and it signals meaning. It allows personal expression and social communication. It does not provide consensus, coherence, or truth. Indeed, in many cases the rising importance of aesthetics sparks conflicts, since one man's ream house is another's eyesore; one neighbor's naturally beautiful prairie garden is another's patch of weeds. And employers' idea of the dress and hairstyles needed to create the right atmosphere for customers may violate employees' sense of personal identity or practical function. Today's aesthetic imperative represents not the return of a signal standard of beauty, but the increased claims of pleasure and self-expression. Beauty in its many forms no longer needs justification beyond the pleasure and meaning it provides. Delighting the senses is enough: "I like that" rather than "This is good design."
95: Pleasure tends to suck the symbolism out of aesthetic elements, but new connections are always emerging.
What's true for color is true for other aesthetic elements, even those originally created with a particular meaning i mind. Their connotations shift over time.
114: An inauthentic reproduction, by contrast, picks some historic elements and drops others, often making those choices on the basis of cost alone.
146: Boundaries work best when the rules are clear and members have voluntarily accepted them, when the units are small enough for members to exit without extraordinary cost, and when different design regimes compete.
Sentences I noted:
10: Aesthetics offers pleasure, and it signals meaning. It allows personal expression and social communication. It does not provide consensus, coherence, or truth. Indeed, in many cases the rising importance of aesthetics sparks conflicts, since one man's ream house is another's eyesore; one neighbor's naturally beautiful prairie garden is another's patch of weeds. And employers' idea of the dress and hairstyles needed to create the right atmosphere for customers may violate employees' sense of personal identity or practical function. Today's aesthetic imperative represents not the return of a signal standard of beauty, but the increased claims of pleasure and self-expression. Beauty in its many forms no longer needs justification beyond the pleasure and meaning it provides. Delighting the senses is enough: "I like that" rather than "This is good design."
95: Pleasure tends to suck the symbolism out of aesthetic elements, but new connections are always emerging.
What's true for color is true for other aesthetic elements, even those originally created with a particular meaning i mind. Their connotations shift over time.
114: An inauthentic reproduction, by contrast, picks some historic elements and drops others, often making those choices on the basis of cost alone.
146: Boundaries work best when the rules are clear and members have voluntarily accepted them, when the units are small enough for members to exit without extraordinary cost, and when different design regimes compete.
poppers's review against another edition
Didn't feel super insightful: might have been at the time, but the idea of "aesthetics are unique, inform purchases and now accept blending of styles" isn't exactly groundbreaking to me. I might have made more time for it if i didn't have to return it to the library.
jessicablevins's review against another edition
4.0
The author's case for the importance of design and aesthetics is very strong. It's true that our society tends to denigrate the look and feel of things vs. the product's performance. While this does make sense, it also makes sense that when the performance is similar, look and feel become very important. The design of something can bring an immense amount of pleasure to our lives, inspiring us to do great things.
However, I agree with many reviewers who say the book could have been much shorter. I felt like it dragged on, especially after the first few chapters.
Two intriguing quotes that I really loved...
"Is Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel more authentic if it's covered with the grime of centuries or if it's cleaned to show the colors the artist intended?"
"Design review turns designers into legal strategists and political conspirators; it suppresses artistry and innovation; and like other forms of absolute power, it corrupts those who wield it and compromises the processes they preside over."
However, I agree with many reviewers who say the book could have been much shorter. I felt like it dragged on, especially after the first few chapters.
Two intriguing quotes that I really loved...
"Is Michaelangelo's Sistine Chapel more authentic if it's covered with the grime of centuries or if it's cleaned to show the colors the artist intended?"
"Design review turns designers into legal strategists and political conspirators; it suppresses artistry and innovation; and like other forms of absolute power, it corrupts those who wield it and compromises the processes they preside over."
puzzlebound's review against another edition
3.0
I felt like I really went out of my comfort zone here. A whole book about how style/fashion/aesthetics is valuable. It wasn't an idea I supported. But I liked the argument and definitely provided a new way to look at style. Definitely interesting but did get a little repetitive by the end.
discocrow's review against another edition
2.0
This is another book I've had forever, one actually recommended to me by Daniel Pink. The book, as the title says, deals with the importance of style and design in varying cultures. Why do we pay a premium for products that are the same as their counterparts, just differently colored? Why do we even care so much about style in general? The book tries to answer these questions.
The book is worthy of more than a two star rating in terms of how well it is written, as well as for its general premise - the topic is a fascinating one. I only rated it so low for two reasons: 1) The book is out of date. I'm uncertain whether or not a new edition has come out, but it would behoove the reader to search for it if it has. 2) The book, likewise, could have been significantly shorter. By the end I felt as if the same exact thing was just being reiterated over and over again.
Essentially, as our general needs are met i.e. shelter and food, we begin to search out things to make life pleasurable. In instances wherein general needs cannot be met, we still seek out escapism in the form of better things. So, essentially, if we can find something to bring a bit of novelty into our lives, we will; if we don't find novelty, our creativity dies and we suffer burnout. A basic idea, but one that perhaps doesn't come up quite as often as it should. Interestingly enough, the book also counteracts a lot of the beliefs of design being merely frivolous. It's in our nature to find pleasure in the shiny and new.
No wonder Project Runway is so popular.
The book is worthy of more than a two star rating in terms of how well it is written, as well as for its general premise - the topic is a fascinating one. I only rated it so low for two reasons: 1) The book is out of date. I'm uncertain whether or not a new edition has come out, but it would behoove the reader to search for it if it has. 2) The book, likewise, could have been significantly shorter. By the end I felt as if the same exact thing was just being reiterated over and over again.
Essentially, as our general needs are met i.e. shelter and food, we begin to search out things to make life pleasurable. In instances wherein general needs cannot be met, we still seek out escapism in the form of better things. So, essentially, if we can find something to bring a bit of novelty into our lives, we will; if we don't find novelty, our creativity dies and we suffer burnout. A basic idea, but one that perhaps doesn't come up quite as often as it should. Interestingly enough, the book also counteracts a lot of the beliefs of design being merely frivolous. It's in our nature to find pleasure in the shiny and new.
No wonder Project Runway is so popular.
peonylantern's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting enough when I was reading it, but it didn't capture my attention enough to finish it. Perhaps at another time I will finish it.
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