BEAUTY +

By Mark Dziersk, FIDSA

Guest Editor

As senior vice president of design,Mark Dziersk is responsible for all aspects of

industrial design management at HLB. He also has worked as a consultant for
several leading design firms and as an adjunct professor at Rhode Island School of
Design and the New England School of Art & Design. He holds an MFA in indus-
trial design from the University of Michigan.

36 BEAUTY + DESIRE I N N O V AT I O N W I N T E R 2 0 0 1
 Why is it that sometimes we just have to have a certain product?
The first PowerBook had it; the latest titanium PowerBook has it. The runaway success of: the Miata,
the Audi TT; enter them into the exclusive category of products that are wildly successful, desired—
even lusted after—by more than just a few people. In many cases these products command a premi-
um before they are introduced. Sometimes even those intimately involved in their development don’t
see it coming. Why don’t all new products have that magic—that certain allure? Perhaps it has to do
with being the first, or the smallest, or the most beautiful. Perhaps sometimes the key factor is timing.
Eames chairs had it, lost it and now have it again. The Corbusier Chaise has always had it.

+ DESIRE
Is “it” beauty? When is it more than beauty?
In this issue of Innovation, we offer to you a better understanding of this mysterious phenomena.
From Tucker Viemeister’s insightful adaptation of Maslow’s theory to Clive Dilnot’s academic dissec-
tion of the word beauty, this collection of articles contains a unique analysis of a topic of great signifi-
cance. We ask and answer many important questions. How does technology enter into the equation?
Enabling technology, manufacturing technology? Newness? Uniqueness? Appliances in cars? Can
“it” be quantified or codified? The obvious advantage of being able to get our arms around what
seems at first so subjective is to be able to execute that “it” quality repeatedly. Also included in this
issue you will find an explanation of beauty based on its mathematical roots, the trends that define
recent product successes, and tips for executing designs that transcend expectations of success.
In a down economy juxtaposed with the seriousness of recent events, exploring this topic may
seem luxurious. Practical advice seems to better fit the order of the day. But this is a time of greatly
renewed interest in design, especially by businesses looking for a competitive edge. Ten years ago,
when finance and distribution ruled the agenda, this topic probably would have been avoided. Today
it must be analyzed and understood to broaden our understanding and to raise new issues of dia-
logue and debate. When the economy and some form of normalcy return, I believe designers will be
drinking from a fire hose. When this happens, everyone is going to want the products they make and
the services they offer to achieve “it.”
One of the unspoken secrets in working on behalf of IDSA is to direct each effort into a subject
matter that you yourself crave to know more about. This ensures that your effort is always rewarding.
I have always been very curious about why some products have “it,” what exactly “it” is and how “it”
can be bottled, so to speak. Through this assignment as guest editor, I have gained a much better
understanding. After you’ve read and absorbed the insights and suggestions of these very talented
authors, I hope you will also.

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 By Tucker Viemeister, FIDSA
Tucker Viemeister is heading up Springtime-USA,a new industrial design studio associated with
the young Dutch group in Amsterdam.Tucker was one of the founders of Smart Design,opened
frogdesign’s NewYork studio in 1997 and was executive vice president of research and develop-
ment at Razorfish.E-mail:Tucker@springtime.nl.

BEAUTILITY
long with speed and size, beauty is a strong

A mechanism for creating product lust. Sensuous

feel, attractive looks, smooth function, fine crafts-

manship, elegant materials—any one of these attributes builds a

bridge to the user and creates an emotional bond, transforming

an object into an object of desire. But the formula is not easy to

apply: Beauty is to function as making love is to lust. Lust is

trashy. (Gee, I feel like I’m writing some pulp romance here!) It’s

one of those seven deadly sins. But a certain level of lust is

necessary for good love making, and more important, beauty

is a necessary component of a fulfilled life.

38 BEAUTY + DESIRE I N N O VAT I O N W I N T E R 2 0 0 1

 As a nation, Americans don’t value beauty enough.
It doesn’t rank high on our list of daily needs. We don’t
discuss it much (unless we’re talking about cosmetics or
celebrities). We aren’t very beauty literate. So let’s dis-
cuss it now.…
Beauty: The Goal of Civilization
Even though we all think we know what is beautiful,
there is no consensus. We can’t agree on specific
examples, but we do share a general formula for beau-
ty: Beauty is a combination of very pleasing sensual and
cerebral stuff. There is an intellectual component to a
beautiful person and an emotional component to a
beautiful mathematical proof. The experience of beauty
is the result of convergence of body, mind and soul.
Form and function melt together. Art and science dance.
It’s hard to argue with “natural beauty.” Everyone
is awed by breathtaking landscapes, colorful flowers
and delicate butterflies. The trick comes when people
try to make beautiful things. A beautiful manmade thing
produces a different kind of pleasure; it somehow taps
into the order of the universe. Making beautiful things
makes our lives worthwhile. Rowena Reed Kostellow,
one of founders of Pratt’s industrial design program,
once said, “Pure, unadulterated beauty should be the
goal of civilization.”
Why do Americans give beauty second-class priori-
ty? Clear the forest, build a barn, build a highway. Eat
your dinner, then you can have dessert. Although beauty
is hard to quantify and may not be a necessity, it is not a
luxury either. Beauty has a practical purpose in our lives.
It has utility. That’s why I have coined the word “beautili-
ty.” I want people to realize that even in our mercenary
world, beauty is good to create. Beautility is a new way
of framing beauty, as something that serves a function,
that elevates it to the bottom line.
The Beauty Experts
Designers are experts in the application of beauty. We
have the talent and training to enhance the function,
look and feel of products. For the past few decades,
however, designers have been more concerned with the
job of making things work better. Engineering and
ergonomics and marketing have soaked up the design-
er’s attention. This becomes obvious when looking at the
IDEA winners. But regardless of how important the mea-
sures of innovation and environmental impact are, beau -
ty is the number one criteria for good design.
Designers may do a lot of other things (research,
strategy, branding, marketing), but in the product devel-
opment cycle, designers are the only ones with the abili-
ty and practice to make things look good. At Pratt I
learned to understand the structure of visual relation-
ships and how to manipulate forms. I learned how to cri-
tique form and how to create a good one. Designers
shape the world! We make things work well and look
beautiful—we’ve always combined intellectual and sen-
sual. Design is the convergence of science and art.
Designers seem to forget: The design professions
are the only ones (perhaps besides plastic surgeons)
whose job it is to create beauty. We are key players in
the beauty business. It is important for us not to shy
away from style. We must not abdicate our role in mak-
ing the world a better-looking place.
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 BEAUTY + DESIRE
The Beauty Spectrum
From a pragmatic point of view, for something to be
beautiful, it has to work. Or even better, something has
to work to be beautiful. The Brooklyn Bridge exists only
because of its function, but it is beautiful. In fact, func-
tion was so important to the Pilgrims and their Puritan
ethics, beauty was almost a sin. Viennese Architect
Adolf Loos declared, “Decoration is a crime!” Even
today, Americans find it hard to spend money on beauty
or hiring an art teacher for their kids.
Luckily, architect Louis Sullivan gave beauty some
practical significance. “Form follows function,” he
declared. Form and function are big criteria for that sci-
entific, rational, functionalist, intellectual, objective view,
but that’s only one end of the aesthetics spectrum.
At the other end of the spectrum is the emotional
view—art. Feelings and sensation blur together in peo-
ple’s minds, disconnecting from practical needs.
Sunsets, flowers, Barbie: all beautiful. It is not practical
function that makes natural wonders beautiful. People
say a bouquet of roses is beautiful. (Of course, you can
make them more beautiful by adding a stuffed teddy
bear!) Shiny things are beautiful; if they are gold, they
are even more beautiful! Sparkly things like diamonds
and rubies are beautiful. The most sensual thing is a
beautiful person.
When humans make beauty, it is a balance between
the physical, sensual, emotional and intellectual. It’s a
combination of art and science. The Eiffel Tower: function-
ally sublime, beautiful rivets and girders—yet totally irra-
tional and emotionally fulfilling! The French went to great
lengths and expense to build that tower. They understand
that beauty is valuable in itself. (After all, Paris is synony-
mous with fashion.) Contemplating a beautiful thing
makes people feel good;it inspires, heals and invigorates.
Pure beauty has practical worth. Style is substance.
40 BEAUTY + DESIRE I N N O VAT I O N W I N T E R 2 0 0 1
Beauty’s Worth
Adolf Loos was wrong. Decoration is not a crime, it’s
a job! Although decoration is applied to the surface, it
is valuable. Some of the good reasons to add decora-
tion are:
■ Continuity: to connect things across different
materials;
■ Camouflage: to disguise poor workmanship;
■ Sign: to signify ownership or to add meaning with
brand logos or religious symbols;
■ Attractiveness: to make it prettier or just to add
embellishment.
In my work, beauty has two reasons for being: to
help sell stuff, and just to be wonderful. Theoretically, a
better-looking thing sells better than an ugly one. It’s
attractive, therefore it attracts! So, making things beauti-
ful helps business. (Although designers often disagree
with clients and consumers about which design is more
beautiful.) Designers usually don’t get to create some-
thing simply wonderful at work, unless there is some
commercial value associated with just being wonderful.
Artists get to make beautiful things for no other reason
than that they want to.
In America, making something beautiful doesn’t
carry the same weight as making money. What’s beau-
ty? You can’t buy anything with it! That’s why we are fas-
cinated by the way artist Jeff Koons’ work is worth lots
of money and don’t really care whether his artifacts are
beautiful. (But his work is definitely better than Donald
Trump’s, which is only about money!)
Beauty Is the Top
In 1943, psychologist Abraham Maslow explained his
theory of human motivation with his famous hierarchy of
needs. He put our most basic, physical needs at the
bottom and our psychological needs at the top. Think of
self actualization
self esteem
love
safety
survival
Maslow’s Hierarchy
cave men on the bottom level searching for food to eat,
air to breathe and sex: simple survival level. They then
move to the next level when they move into a cave,
build a fire and find a stick to protect themselves; now,
they can look around for love and respect. Then at last,
when they have a warm cave, a club, a loving family
and a nice tribe, they can climb to the top of the pyra-
mid. From there, they have time to wonder about who
they should be and how to transform their inner selves.
Maslow’s idea is that having unfulfilled needs lower on
the pyramid prevents a person from moving up to the
next level.
Maslow created his hierarchy a long time ago and
couldn’t take into consideration the needs and desires
of Americans today. So, I’ve made a new hierarchy for
2001. Imagine the suburbanite in his Dockers; he’s got a
house, refrigerator and a car for survival. Now he needs
to get comfortable with a Lay-Z-Boy recliner and a
beer—he’s reached the second level: convenience.
America is the land of comfort and convenience. We’re
the masters of the entertainment delivery system—all in
the pursuit of happiness! OXO GoodGrips make peeling
potatoes fun!
Are you having fun yet? If you answer “yes!” you’ve
almost reached the top of the pyramid. Although it’s nice
to have fun at work and everyone likes to escape into a
Hollywood film experience, I can’t believe that “fun” is
beauty
fun
convenience
survival
Tucker’s Hierarchy
the ultimate goal of life. Like Maslow says, people desire
something that transcends their own selves. Beauty is
that worthy goal, connecting to the biggest ideas and
richest feelings. Although it is fleeting and ever expand-
ing, beauty is satisfying.Making beauty is the ultimate
experience. Seeing, feeling, contemplating, enjoying a
beautiful composition, painting—these are peak Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi “flow” moments.
Helping people reach this kind of Nirvana is what
friends are for. Rowena was right: Beauty has got to be
the goal of civilization. Design is the most valuable com-
modity, so it’s no wonder that the industrial design pro-
fession is being pushed to new heights.
In “Sleeping Beauty,” the evil queen (obviously not
a designer) had to ask, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s
the fairest of them all?” Is beauty only skin deep? The
way people and things look is important. What’s wrong
with a beautiful surface? Quality is reflected in the visual
image. You can judge a book by looking at the cover.
The objects we make and how we enjoy them define
culture. Whether it’s only on the surface or goes all the
way through, the more beautiful it is, the better the cul-
ture and the more fulfilling our lives. In fact, civilization
builds (both physically and intellectually) the environ-
ment and support for the creation and appreciation of
beauty. Like gas and water, beautility is an essential
civic utility that sustains our life form.
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