Visual Aesthetics was one of the classes I looked forward to the most when I applied to the iMedia program. I’ve always been interested in how things look, what makes them appealing, and what the idea was behind why it was appealing. Now that I’m near the end of the semester, I feel like I have a grasp on some of the answers to those questions. I enjoyed that we took an art history direction at the beginning of the course. It is only right to look at the masters of the craft and how their sense of aesthetics have changed – even from 100 years ago. That is one of the key takeaways from this course. There will always be a general idea on what makes something appealing, but a lot of it depends on the current culture.
One of the things I have enjoyed the most about this course was my involvement with typography. It’s a new joy/toy?/interest? and I’m exploring and playing with it more everyday. If you don’t know about this site, I recommend taking a look at it – http://fontsinuse.com It tells you what fonts have been used in art work, advertising, media, etc. I don’t know why I’m really into it, but I believe it’s extremely important. Most media utilizes words to express messages. Often there is a background, but the type is in your face and is meant to be read. Having a readable, but emotional font is key in captivating the message.
Anyway, I’ve enjoyed the class and I will think about aesthetics with every project I take on from now on!