«What is ‘beautiful’ in design?» This is a collection of subjective opinions on beauty from representatives of various professional fields. Respondents share in what context they use or do not use the word «beautiful, ” what meaning they ascribe to it, and provide examples of what they consider beautiful.
During the research, approximately 50 interviews were conducted and edited. Each interview was approved by the respondent. I spoke with graphic designers, typography designers, book designers, web designers, typographers, art historians, film studies specialists, and representatives from philology, biology, geography, programming, and social anthropology.
The interviews have a two-part structure. The first part consists of answers to specific questions, which are visually illustrated by context notes within the interview. The second part is a free selection of images chosen by the creators, with no limitations. I asked the respondents to send me examples of what they consider beautiful; authors who wished to do so included comments alongside their images.
The publication maintains a distinctly neutral tone. The text works in contrast with the images. I intentionally do not interfere with the voices of other authors through my design; I simply give them the space to speak. The underlines in the questions represent my own authorial voice. The choice of color is subjective because it is the color I assign to my own voice. It is sufficiently neutral, allowing me not to «overpower» the respondents, yet simultaneously setting myself apart from them.
«Beautiful» is not the antonym of «functional»; they are two concepts that exist on different planes and can coexist simultaneously.
