Engineering for Industrial Designers and Inventors

Chapter 2. Nontechnical Influences

Why does one pen get thrown in the garbage after use, another is worthy of a refill cartridge, another becomes a family heirloom, and another resides in a museum? Ancient philosophers asserted the three motivators of all human inquiry are pursuit of truth, beauty, and goodness. This triumvirate of cognition, aesthetics, and morality offers a framework for looking at design as an attempt to develop functional products and systems, express cultural heritage, and express an aesthetic quality. The first category can be referred to as mechanistic influences. The other categories can be referred to as nonmechanistic (a fancy name for nontechnical) influences such as aesthetics, brand management, and material culture. These nonmechanistic influences can be determined by delving into the social sciences, perhaps most appropriately ethnography, which is the study of human culture.

The Role of Aesthetics in Design

The philosophy of aesthetics is connected with value judgments and is a preeminent concern for industrial designers. Even in a study of engineering principles, this subject cannot be ignored. The mark of a professional designer is integrating aesthetics into everything. Often beauty is subordinated to other concerns such as functionality and brand management, but making a design appealing and intuitive is part of the aesthetic treatment. These are key added values provided by the designer.

Aesthetic can be defined as “pleasing in appearance,” ...