Aesthetics: With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

    

Aesthetic Collage: Made in Canva.com

    Aesthetics have always been a piece of the internet that intrigues me. There are many sights and happenings in the real world that one could deem "aesthetically pleasing," but few would be as enticing as the ones showcased on the web. It is apparent that aesthetics get clicks from sites like Pinterest to Tumblr– but why is that? In reality, aesthetics alone do not make a website tempting to browse, but rather the central design. User-centered designs are the future of websites and technology.

    Wikipedia defines aesthetics as "a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art," this is a valid definition of aesthetics, but one that oversimplifies what makes aesthetics so compelling. Looking at Virginia Tucker's PowerPoint titled "User-Centered Design," I can observe the main factors in an aesthetic. These are: Functionality, contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity. Upon further examination, these factors remind me of the Visual Rhetoric rules discussed last week (to access this blog post, click here). Functionality is a lot like layout, which determines how a reader intercepts and processes a page. Functionality, as well as layout, rely on the presumed habits of readers as well as assumptions about what will be liked and disliked. Contrast is similar to a mixture of font and elements, all of which are changed based on the context of their usage. To maximalize aesthetics, color, font, and line thickness/spacing must all match. Sometimes a creator might use a monochromatic scale of colors and two main fonts to achieve this look, while those with a better understanding of color theory and font language can mix and match more.

    The themes discussed last week and the ones mentioned above differ through repetition, alignment, and proximity. Repetition can easily break down into three types, according to Tucker. These types are rhythm, pattern, and repetition. Rhythm is not the same picture-perfect copy repeated over and over; instead, a subtlety casts over this form. Minor aspects repeat while some parts change entirely. Patterns may also change, but no more than two or three different elements typically repeat simultaneously. Finally, repetition is the most self-explanatory as it is a singular component that appears again and again; this fits into aesthetics because repetition of any form creates a sense of balance and movement and can ingrain an image or saying into a viewer's mind. Alignment is more straightforward, referring to the literal alignment of text on a page. If a text is centered, a sense of importance settles upon it instead of the defaulted left alignment, but it is not as striking as the odd right-side alignment. Alignments can signal different ranges of formality and seriousness in an unsaid and intentional way. Finally, proximity helps to organize thoughts on a page. Proximity guides readers to view intention, where items should appear, and to which groups they belong.

    User-centered designs are the future of websites and technology. The aspects of aesthetics mentioned above are the building blocks for user-centered/friendly design. These building blocks help to motivate user interaction and keep a site from becoming boring, outdated, or cluttered. While it might seem silly at times to put this level of effort into something as simple as a website, understanding these tools provided will make a significant difference in the long run.

Take a moment to consider how many of these aspects of aesthetics you already use.

Citations

“Aesthetics.” Wikipedia. 21 June 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetics

Pinterest, www.pinterest.com/. Accessed 24 June 2023.

Tucker, V. “User-centered Design.” Digital Writing 307T.

Tumblr, www.tumblr.com/login. Accessed 24 June 2023.