Hypothesis

When is a design good? Inevitably, whenever this question comes up, the "eye of the beholder" argument ends the discussion without a real answer to the question. 

There is a more universal answer. Good design does not depend so much on the eye of the beholder, but a combination of aesthetics and ethics. Good design exhibits virtues like generosity, courage, diligence, honesty, substance, clarity, curiosity, thriftiness, and wit. In contrast, bad design exhibits human vices like selfishness, fear, laziness, deceit, pettiness, confusion, apathy, wastefulness, and stupidity.

In other words, we want the same things from good design that we want from our fellow humans. When we combine ethical virtues with aesthetic virtues, we get good design. 

Methodology

With ethics and aesthetics as a foundation for good design, we then look to the eye of the beholder. By using an aesthetic principle known as depth, we are able to develop good design that helps us meet our objectives. From the customers perspective, the principle of depth includes:

• Perception - The surface of the customer experience, including what the user sees, hears, touches, smells, and tastes.
• Reason - The logical processes used to make sense of products, services, companies, and communications.
• Emotion - The feelings that drive many decisions, including those that are hidden beneath Reason.
• Resonance - The intuition that a relationship with a given company, product, or offer is "right."
• Ideology - The tribal connection felt with a brand - The deep sense of belonging to its community.

Objectives

When the aesthetic principle of depth is applied to design, we have the ability to impact every aspect of a business. When good design goes beyond how it looks to how it makes us feel, it can be applied to any company. Below are the parts of business that are impacted by good design:

• Vision - The core elements of the business, including its purpose, mission, values, and strategies.
• Identity - The symbols that embody the company, including its voice, visual presentation, personality, and character.
• Culture - The way the company works together, including its processes, organizational structure, relationships, and language.
• Products - The products, services, and experiences that give the company its competitive advantage.
• Brands - The behaviors and communications that convert vision, identity, culture, and products into customer value.

Send Inquiry