The Nature and Design of Aesthetics

When it comes to design, many people look for the “cheapest” way to make a new product. We often say “better” when we mean “cheaper.” Design seems to be set on limitations. A designer can present a shape to workman and they can make it for them but only with the given materials they have. The economy has had a major influence on design whether we may recognize it or not. Many techniques are taken into use when making a design piece. Techniques of altering materials, such as constructing, shaping, wasting, forming, and casting have been used when designing pieces out of certain materials. More techniques are used because most know, you can cut almost any shape out of a material and join anything to anything. Processing materials are the only way to extend the limitation on materials. Altering their properties, like hardening steel with heat or making fiber out of glass is processing materials but it is still rudimentary. For wood, the design of an object is endless. The restriction is the amount of wood we have. This ties to our project because we really have endless oppurtunities when working with wood. We can cut and shape the wood to any figure we want, it all just depends on the materials we were given in the first place.