> On 6 Jan 2016, at 9:32 PM, Eduardo corte-real <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> The only way you can intellectually tackle beauty is philosophically.
Eduardo and all,
Of necessity, in my field of information design, I take a different intellectual position. Beauty’s importance is always contextualised and dealt with in relation to the people who end up having to use our designs.
I say *having to use our designs* because in many of the projects we have undertaken—medicine information, forms, bills, notices, letters, web sites—people do not have a choice. They have to use these designs to achieve certain outcomes.
Having said that, we do apply a set of criteria that collectively contribute to some notions of beauty, and are to a greater or lesser degree ‘measurable’. We first published these for the benefit of our Members back in the 1990s. I also published a summary in the public domain (Sless 2004). We will be making a version of this 2004 paper available freely to our members later this year.
We have also published specific versions of these criteria in our case histories. A good example to look at is a project where these criteria were not met, with the result that the project failed. I should add that this was part of one of our most important high-profile public projects which has been widely celebrated and copied around the world. We did not think this was the success it should have been. It did not meet the criteria that contribute to that contribute to its ‘beauty' .
*Shorter Consumer Medicine Information (CMI)
The sad failure of a design project*
The full text is available to our subscribers. Subscriptions are free!
https://communication.org.au/shorter-consumer-medicine-information-the-sad-failure-of-a-design-project/
As you will see, the word *beauty* is not used, but the criteria we apply collectively dance around this area
David
Sless D. (2004)
Designing public documents
Information Design Journal + Document Design 12(1), 24–35
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blog: http://communication.org.au/blo <http://communication.org.au/blo>g/
web: http://communication.org.au <http://communication.org.au/>
Professor David Sless BA MSc FRSA
CEO • Communication Research Institute •
• helping people communicate with people •
Mobile: +61 (0)412 356 795
Phone: +61 (03) 9005 5903
Skype: davidsless
60 Park Street • Fitzroy North • Melbourne • Australia • 3068
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