DESIGN AND AESTHETICS

Lecture 7 – Elements of design and aesthetics (3)

5.1 Shape & function; quantitative and qualitative

Elements of attributes of the shape
design and 5.2 The constructive and expressive role of line
aesthetics 5.3 Style – a synthesis of dominant aesthetic features
(continuing 5.4 Color: aesthetic value and functionality
lecture 6) 5.5 The aesthetic analysis of products

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 Preferences for colors

Are based on the following criteria:

 objective criteria
which considers the properties of color: brightness, purity, intensity;
 psychological criteria:
5.4. Colors a color stimulates, heats, chills etc.;
 associative criteria:
a color can be liked or disliked according to the feelings or memories
awakened in the viewer;
 semantic criteria:
an expressive attribute is assigned a color (alertness, aggression,
fatigue etc.).

Color functionality

 the colors used must correspond to functional and

technical requirements
e.g.: colors communicate a particular type of
information, indicating or symbolizing a certain thing
5.4. Color

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5.4. Color

European sign directive 92/58/EEC of 24 June 1992

indicates that the signs should be green in color
indicating a safe place of exit.

 using color contrast to

highlight volumes or
differentiate between
static and dynamic
elements

5.4. Color e.g. the KitchenAid food

mixer

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 … or this industrial
machine

5.4. Color

 achieve a contrast between

the background of the
work place and the raw
material to be used on it

5.4. Color
e.g. this machine is used for
making brown or dark colored
cowboy boots

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 The results of using colors:

 increasing productivity
 occupational safety
 protecting packed products from light and moisture
 attracting the attention of buyers towards manufacturers and products
5.4. Color e.g.: colors associated with trademarks

If one of the above is achieved, that color is a functional color.

Examples of functional colors in use

e.g. :The use of color for thermal protection

 refrigerated trucks / vans
 white vs. black
Functional
colors

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 e.g.
Using color to protect food, beverages, chemicals, cosmetics
(brown glass containers for beer, oils, etc.)

Functional
colors

e.g.
Using color to protect food, beverages, chemicals, cosmetics
(brown glass containers for beer, oils, etc.)

Functional
colors

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 e.g.
Using color for signaling or identification of control buttons

Functional
colors

e.g.
Using color for export goods (adaptation to local market
preferences)

Functional
colors

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 e.g.
colors associated with trademarks

Functional
colors

e.g.
colors associated with trademarks

Functional
colors

Benetton
store

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 https://www.google.com/design/spec/style/color.html

Material https://material.io/
design
https://design.google.com/videos/making-material-design/

https://vimeo.com/100377108

Goals
Create a visual language = classic principles of good design +
innovation + technology + science.

Material
design

Source: material.io

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 Principles of material design
1. Material is the metaphor / Surfaces
 Tangible objects
 everything lives within a surface
 surfaces have different size, shapes, colors, elevations
 surfaces helps us easily recognize different things (e.g. one
button that could be pressed)
 tactile reality, inspired by the study of paper and ink.

Material  Hierarchy
 Things that are closer/or larger are more important
design  Direct attention to the most important information

 Interaction cues
 continues experience
 Surfaces and edges of the material provide visual cues that are
grounded in reality. The use of familiar tactile attributes helps
users quickly understand affordances. Yet the flexibility of the
material creates new affordances that supersede those in the
physical world, without breaking the rules of physics.
 The fundamentals of light, surface, and movement are key to
conveying how objects move, interact, and exist in space and in
relation to each other Source: material.io

Principles of material design

2. Bold, graphic, intentional
 Color
 Dynamic coloring – e.g. touch response
 Palette – runs over an image and picks out the palette of colors
inside the image

 Typography
 line height – expressing hierarchy
 assuring the readability
Material  using typographic variations helps gives visual interest (instead
design of a presenting text)
 Not using only different text color and size
 surfaces have different size, shapes, colors, elevations

 Space
 Break out of the grid (floating action button)
 draws attention, highlight certain items
 Using layouts / depending on the device used
 These elements do far more than please the eye. They create
hierarchy, meaning, and focus.
 An emphasis on user actions makes core functionality
Source: material.io immediately apparent and provides waypoints for the user.

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 Principles of material design
3. Motion provides meaning
 Guide focus
 through transition
 animations between two states
 Motion respects and reinforces the user as the prime
mover. Primary user actions are inflection points that
initiate motion, transforming the whole design.
Material  Spatial model
design  All action takes place in a single environment.
Objects are presented to the user without breaking
the continuity of experience even as they transform
and reorganize.
 Motion is meaningful and appropriate, serving to
focus attention and maintain continuity.
Feedback is subtle yet clear. Transitions are
efficient yet coherent.
Source: material.io

Lighting
 an element that characterizes the atmosphere of an interior
 highlights the objects & influences the perception of color

According to the main purpose of lighting:

Lighting  ambient lighting
(general lighting)
 task lighting
(local lighting)
 accent lighting
(decorative lighting)

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 ambient lighting
= ensures the general
lighting of a room

Ambient
lighting

task lighting
= local lighting, focused on a certain area in order to
fulfill a purpose

Task lighting

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 accent lighting
= decorative lighting, used to draw attention and
highlight a certain area of a room

Accent
lighting

Analyzing the aesthetic level of products

5.5. Aesthetic
analysis of ! Consumers have heterogeneous criteria and views.
products
Analysis is made by means of score by specialists.

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 Three main methods of analyzing the aesthetic level of
products by means of score
1. a global appreciation of the aesthetic value of the products
How? calculating the average of the marks awarded by the
specialists
5.5. Aesthetic 2. decomposing aesthetic value into components (e.g. shape,
color, graphics) and assessing each one
analysis of How? Each component gets a score from each specialist, the score is
products weighted for each element then the overall average of the product is
calculated
3. decomposing a component in the main aspects forming it and
then assessing distinctly each one
How? Calculating the average for every aspect of the component,
then the average for the component and finally, the overall average

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