Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition
by William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, Jill Butler
183 Symmetry
A property of similar or exact correspondence between the configuration of elements.
Symmetry is the most basic and enduring aspect of beauty. Its aesthetic appeal is likely innate and is therefore strongest in young children and in evolutionary-type contexts. For example, in evaluating facial features as a means of assessing health and genetic fitness, symmetrical faces are perceived to be more attractive than asymmetrical faces.1
In non-evolutionary-type contexts, however, the preference is sensitive to learning effects. For example, people with training in the arts and humanities tend to find asymmetrical things to be more, not less, beautiful. It seems that asymmetry is an acquired aesthetic taste that overrides the innate ...
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