Design Aesthetics

An original exploration of the role of aesthetics in contemporary design, uniquely combining philosophical aesthetics and cultural analysis of design.

As a product of human ingenuity, design functions as an artificial interface through which we meet the world. While the ubiquity of design seems to render it imperceptible, when we truly reflect on design, we see that it is inextricably entwined with our experience of the world. In Design Aesthetics, Mads Nygaard Folkmann provides an engaging introduction to the field of design aesthetics and its role as a concept. Engaging with sensual, conceptual, and contextual considerations of design aesthetics, this book investigates design experience in tandem with design practice, objects, and perception.

Part one of Design Aesthetics lays the theoretical foundation by differentiating between sensual, conceptual, and contextual dimensions of design aesthetics and clarifying what “aesthetic experience” means in relation to design. The second part of the book consists of studies in implications of design aesthetics for design practice, design objects with embedded technology, and the construction of perception of aesthetic qualities in objects.  In its focus on design aesthetics, the book is intended for everyone working with design—design students, designer researchers, and designers—as well as students and researchers in aesthetics in general.Preface ix
Introduction 1
I Theory 
1 Aesthetics 23
2 Aesthetics and Design
3 Design Aesthetics: A Framework 57
4 Aesthetic Experience in Design 109
II Implications
5 Negotiating Aesthetics in Design Practice 151
6 The Post-Material Aesthetics of Digital Objects 199
7 Aestheticizing Perception of Design 243
Coda: Too Much Aesthetics? 287
Glossary: A Quick Guide to Design Aesthetics 295
Notes 301
References 331
Index 357"…Folkmann offers a thoughtful, critical, and refreshing exploration of how design aesthetics shapes and is shaped by contemporary life. His emphasis on the entanglement of aesthetics, materiality, and experience ensures that this book will resonate across disciplines and spark meaningful discussion on the role of design in society.” —Design and Culture“With his second book on design aesthetics, Mads Folkmann unfolds his thinking about the material culture of design and its means for perceiving the world. A great contribution to design theory!”
—Gesche Joost, Professor, Design Research Lab, Berlin University of the Arts

“As design is arguably becoming the most significant aesthetic medium of all, Folkmann masterfully brings aesthetic theory in conversation with cultural studies to suggest a compelling framework for analyzing design as our interface with the world.”
—Kjetil Fallan, Professor of Design History, University of Oslo; author of Ecological by Design (MIT Press)

“Folkmann challenges our thinking about aesthetics by considering it as a critical aspect of design. If you are interested in design studies and design history, this book is a must.”
—David Brody, Professor of Design Studies, Parsons School of Design, The New School; author of Housekeeping by Design: Hotels and LaborMads Nygaard Folkmann is Professor of Design Studies at the Department of Media, Design, Education and Cognition, University of Southern Denmark. He is author of The Aesthetics of Imagination in Design (MIT Press) and Designkultur: Teoretiske perspektiver på design.