Nature & Asthetics of Design

Art makes life worth living.

This is the point that was made in the article Nature & Aesthetics of Design. The author begins by assessing the material aspect of life, and by such means the physical material, not how much your double-shot latte from Starbucks cost (x3 per day). Physical materials are the building blocks of our civilization. Where would we be without glass and steel? Cotton and linen? Even our greatest homo sapiens ancestors assessed the value of material to accommodate their lifestyles. Animal fur was warm and and leather underside made for a though, long lasting piece of clothing. Precisely why moccasins are leather and not cotton.

The author then leads into talking about how these materials and the designs of these materials are what indirectly make us happy. It may seem far fetched, but it is completely accurate. We are happy when situations are convenient, when we get great service at a restaurant, or when it's snowing and our living room couch is always toasty. These are just a few obvious examples of how materials make us happy.

The author's next objective is to relate complete human happiness to art and design by working his or her way through the related topics of materials. Artists make the world a better place to be, is essentially the article's motto. Without these artists and designers creating things that are comfortable, pleasing to the eye or hand, and intriguing there would be very little substance to our lives. On the same level, without depression, pain, and moments of sadness there would be no appreciation for these works of art. If the weather was always temperate, we would never appreciate central heating and air conditioning.