A classification of argument types for product aesthetics

Abstract

This paper focuses on the creative process of designing products with aesthetic qualities. Within this creative process, the paper focuses on the kinds of argumentation that designers use to justify aesthetic qualities of design objects. A distinctive feature of such arguments is the highly subjective nature of aesthetic preferences. Therefore, instead of actual observable phenomena, the focus is always on someone's subjective opinion. To address this issue, a basis is taken in established argumentation models, which are transformed into the described context. The proposed classification's fit with the reality of industrial designers was investigated through a series of interviews with industrial designers. The studies illustrated that all the eight developed argument types are, in fact, applied in practice.