Aesthetics might be underrated in the business side of things, but your business definitely needs it if you want to make it successful.

The subject of aesthetics deals with the essence of art, beauty, and taste and our own perception of them. It’s basically how we perceive and appreciate things that look good.

Because art, beauty, and taste are all essentially tied to design, aesthetics play a huge role in the process of developing great graphic designs as well. And graphic designs are proven to be one of the most important marketing tools out there.

Furthermore, aesthetics just might be one of the key factors that could propel your business forward to success.

In this article, we’ll discuss the nature of aesthetics in regards to graphic design. We’ll cover the definition of aesthetics, its importance in graphic design, and why your business needs it.

 

What is aesthetics?

According to Oxford Languages, aesthetics is “a set of principles concerned with the nature and appreciation of beauty, especially in art.”

Art and beauty are both subjective values, so instead of understanding aesthetics through rationality, aesthetics is understood through the lens of our perception and appreciation for it.

Our psychology makes us associate aesthetically pleasing things to other positive traits other than just physical values.

For example, if we see a banana that’s shaped just right and looks perfectly ripe and yellow, we automatically assume that it tastes good just by looking at it. Conversely, we assume that misshapen or discolored bananas taste bad, so we end up not buying or eating them.

Additionally, aesthetics is visual in nature, which makes it applicable to everything visible to the naked human eye. From the natural objects, we see outside, to the things we create physically or digitally—including graphic design.

 

What is the importance of aesthetics in graphic design?

Design in general is the intersection of functionality and aesthetics. It combines the objectivity of function and the subjectivity of aesthetics, resulting in a logical and creative output.

Graphic design indeed needs to be functional because design solves visual communication problems, after all. But design doesn’t have to be boring!

Making a design look good for the sake of looking good can actually be a good thing, especially if you have already achieved its functional objectives like clear text, proper layout, proper imagery, and so on.

Surely, you can make a poster design that clearly displays essential information and be done with it. But why stop there when you can add artistic elements to make it look more interesting?

Through aesthetics, you can add artistic elements to your design that can elevate its visual appeal. It can add character and personality to your design that purely functional design would not be able to do so.

When designing with aesthetics, you can start by thinking about design elements that you think people will find beautiful. What colors and imagery do you think they find appealing? What beautiful things do you think will attract your consumers?

Because more than practical design, in the end, people still get pulled in by the things they find beautiful.

You can make the most functional cupcake packaging design there is, but if people find another box of cupcakes more appealing—say it has a color palette that looks more appetizing—then they will still be more inclined to get that other box instead of yours.

This brings us to the advantages that aesthetics can give to your business. 

Why does my business need it?

Your business currently might be facing problems that aesthetic design can help in solving. Here are some of those business problems and how aesthetics can solve them:

Your competitors are fierce

• Aesthetics can set you apart from the competition by giving your brand and your graphic designs a unique look.

Your new business finds it hard to penetrate a new market

• Incorporating great aesthetics into your graphic design can make your brand leave a good and lasting impression on consumers, eventually turning them into loyal customers.

You need more customers

• Consumers tend to share aesthetically pleasing products with other people more frequently.

Consumers are becoming harder to please

• Aesthetics can reach your customers’ standards and expectations by appealing to their tastes through visually appealing designs.

Consumers are having shorter attention spans

• Aesthetics can make your design grab consumers’ attention, even the ones that have the shortest attention spans.

Consumers now have tighter budgets or stricter purchasing habits

• Aesthetics can make your product look more appealing to consumers, making it worth their money to buy. Putting a lot of effort into making your graphic design look great can translate to putting the effort to ensure that your product quality is great as well.

 

In conclusion

Aesthetics deals with art, beauty, and taste and is needed in great graphic design, along with functionality, to give your design more character that will appeal to consumers. This will help your business convert sales and drive profit to make it successful.

Every graphic designer at Graphics Zoo has the eye for aesthetics that can help your business come up with great looking designs. Send us an email at support@graphicszoo.com.