Design Aesthetics: Theoretical Basics and Studies in Implication

In introducing and unpacking the concept of design aesthetics, the book investigates the role of aesthetics for design. The book is the first to focus directly on design aesthetics in this way, and it is unique by combining philosophical aesthetics and cultural analysis of design.
The first part lays the theoretical foundation by differentiating between sensual, conceptual, and contextual dimensions of design aesthetics and clarifies what “aesthetic experience” means in relation to design. On this basis, the second part 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.
The book engages in a discussion on design as a phenomenon setting the scene for our being in the modern world. As a product of human creation, design produces an artificial interface for meeting the world, and the central argument of the book is that aesthetics provides concepts for reflecting how human experience is framed by the material world we meet. On this point, the book addresses the question of what makes design special as a medium for experience.
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.