On Beauty

I've followed the buzz generated by UPA Boston's Mini UPA Conference, twittered via #miniupa. Came across Aye Moah's presentation, "What User Interface Designers Can Learn from Architecture." Slide 28 contains a great quote by Matthew Frederick: "Beauty is due more to harmonious relationships among the elements of a composition rather than to the elements themselves."

I couldn't help but think of LukeW's article, "Common Visual Design Misconceptions," where he dispels the myth that it's possible to evaluate visual design in pieces. It's critical that design decisions are made by looking at things holistically, rather than in isolation. As LukeW says, "When a designer adjusts one element, she needs to refactor the overall composition to restore balance. Design decisions made in isolation tend not to add up to a coherent whole."