Nostalgia is an intrinsic part of being a human. We are naturally sentimental of the past and long for what once was. Vintage and cultivating a vintage aesthetic is an effect of our yearning for a past period. It is a celebration of timeless design. Vintage has been gaining incre … | Continue reading
Mid-century modern is an architectural and interior design aesthetic that was popular from about 1945 to 1970 during the post war period in the United States of America. The term mid-century modern was used as early as 1950 but was ultimately defined as a design movement by Cara … | Continue reading
The Modern Rustic aesthetic captures the blend of contemporary minimalism of modern design with the rugged charm of rustic design. Originating in the mid-20th century, this aesthetic emerged as the rustic style evolved to incorporate clean lines and minimalist aspects [1]. Rustic … | Continue reading
Manifest Destiny and the Western expansion of the United States was a movement that began in the mid-1800s. Because of this movement, mass groups settled on the American Frontier. This movement also created the Wild West and a popular Western aesthetic today. A famous painting by … | Continue reading
The aesthetic that I chose to dive deeper into was the rustic aesthetic. This aesthetic takes inspiration from 17th and 18th century rural architecture, and focuses heavily on natural woods and stones. Rustic architecture was popularized in the United States during the mid 1800’s … | Continue reading
Art Nouveau was an extremely influential artistic movement that emerged during the Belle Époque (beautiful age) in Europe, a prosperous time that began in the late 1800s and ended in the early 1900s with the start of World War I. Art Nouveau is characterized by flowing natural fo … | Continue reading
The Memphis Design movement emerged in the 1980s as a bold and unconventional response to the minimalist, functional design trends that dominated the previous decades. Characterized by its vibrant colors, geometric patterns, and eclectic mix of materials, Memphis Design challenge … | Continue reading
Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s “The Swing” is a painting you and others may know and recognize. Whether that is from the overall composition, colors or extravagant amount of detail, this painting is studied and admired by many. But, what sets it apart from other known artworks like the … | Continue reading
The Spanish Golden Age is now recognized for the prosperity Spain underwent regarding literature and the arts during the 16-17th centuries. This era originated after the Catholic Monarchs reclaimed land in Spain that was previously occupied by Muslim forces and ended the centurie … | Continue reading
The fascinating natural features of a river delta, where at the mouth of a river into a greater body of water create vast amounts of forking waterways provided individuals with immense amounts of resources to settle for centuries. This aesthetic exploration will explore what has … | Continue reading
The concept of Biophilic Design was first explored in the book titled Biophilic Design, by authors Stephen R Kellert, Judith H Heerwagen and Martin L Mador. Although Biophilic Design was published in 2008 coining the term, this philosophy has existed alongside humanity for most o … | Continue reading
This image from Passportoeden.com demonstrates the general idea of the cottagecore aesthetic. We can see that the essence of the cottagecore aesthetic is the embracing of traditional rustic lifestyle practices. The image above, pulled from Pinterest, shows how nature plays a stro … | Continue reading
I chose athleisure as an aesthetic to explore more because I feel like it closely relates to my life and what I choose to wear on a daily basis. I have always liked wearing more comfortable, athletic and breathable clothes, and I think the uprising of the athleisure made a change … | Continue reading
The miniature aesthetic is a fascinating world of detail and craftsmanship, turning large-scale objects into intricate, small wonders. Whether it’s a tiny Christmas village, a miniature garden, or a cake so small it fits on the tip of your finger, these creations captivate us wit … | Continue reading
Figure 1: Cowboy on a ridge The Western, or Wild West, aesthetic emerged in the 19th century and gains inspiration from the American frontier’s landscapes, cultures, and lifestyles. Within this aesthetic, themes of self-reliance, rugged individualism, and the untamed wilderness a … | Continue reading
Restomods, short for “restoration-modifications,” blend the timeless design of classic cars with the advanced technology of modern vehicles. This approach retains the aesthetic and historical significance of vintage automobiles while enhancing their performance, safety, and comfo … | Continue reading
Brutalism was a modernist movement that focused on bringing in a new era of architectural design, leaving the war-torn 1940s in the past. It is most commonly found in architecture but can also be seen in fashion, art, and other forms of expression. This design style began in Engl … | Continue reading
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“I should’ve been a cowboy.” -Toby Keith One of the most popular songs in all of country music resonates with an American people still fascinated with the sense of beauty and adventure experienced by the trailblazers of western expansion. A rough and rugged people staking their c … | Continue reading
Victorian Architecture The above image of London St Pancras Station is by Colin off of Wikimedia Creative Commons and showcases the Gothic Revival style. The era that Queen Victoria reigned over Great Britain and Ireland, known as the Victorian era, spanned from 1837 to 1901. Thi … | Continue reading
The western / cowboy culture is something that exists from over two centuries of rich history, and in the modern day is quite departed from its roots. Originating from the lifestyles of horse-riding cattle tenders, the Cowboy aesthetic is largely rooted in 18th century American e … | Continue reading
Roman society was that of violence, triumphs, opulence, and poverty, but most of all it was a society that adored the dramatic. From arranged battles in the colosseum to the adoration of generals that destroyed the barbarians, the Romans loved a good story. One way they told stor … | Continue reading
Growing up, my favorite childhood movies were Studio Ghibli movies. The director, Hayao Miyazaki is an amazing animator who creates imaginative visuals and compelling storytelling. I was always drawn to the art style and whimsical nature of the films. Miyazaki created beautiful s … | Continue reading
Rising to popularity during the early days of the Space Race. Raygun Gothic represents a popular art aesthetic from the 1940s – 1960s. It commonly contains bright, distinct colors similar to those found in comic books, depicting a science fiction-esq “Traditional American” future … | Continue reading
Wabi-sabi is a traditional Japanese aesthetic built around the idea of finding beauty in something “perfectly imperfect.” This could be a crack in a plate, a knot in a piece of lumber, or even a distorted shape. It’s about embracing natural flaws and imperfections and seeing the … | Continue reading
Known for its bright colors, textural strokes, and brutish manner, Neo-expressionism grew to popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. The stylistic beginnings are said to be rooted in Germany, when Georg Baselitz opened a controversial exhibition in West Berlin in 1963. From there, Bas … | Continue reading
When I first saw that the aesthetic exploration was our first assignment, I was super excited. My mind instantly jumped to ideas like minimalism and other trendy aesthetics. But then I thought, “Wait, probably half the class is going to pick that.” So I decided to park the idea a … | Continue reading
The paper Dirt Theory and Material Ecocriticism [1] by Heather I. Sullivan “speaks for dirty aesthetics. Although aesthetic landscapes readily inspire environmental thinking, a case can be made for grappling with the truly local dirty matter right at hand. Dirt, soil, earth, and … | Continue reading
Imagine stepping into a world where lines curve endlessly, patterns repeat in mesmerizing ways, and the very fabric of space seems to shift and bend before your eyes. This is the essence of the non-Euclidean geometry art aesthetic, a style that incorporates the principles of curv … | Continue reading
A highly influential era was the Victorian Era (1837 – 1901) developed a popular aesthetic that is almost interchangeable with the era. It was sometimes referred to as the aesthetic movement. This era saw the British Empire become the first global industrial power allowing for ma … | Continue reading
Due dates: Upcycle Artifact must be completed by 11 am Monday Feb 17. You are encouraged to revise and improve it later, but this is the version you must document for critique. If you revise it, submit an additional post about it later too. Complete Upcycle report due midnight We … | Continue reading
If you have been on TikTok for the past couple of years chances are you may have seen the viral trend of people playing Berghain trainer, an online simulator where you answer a series of questions to determine whether you would get into Berlins exclusive techno nightclub Berghain … | Continue reading
Dr. Seuss is one of my favorite artists. Born in 1904 at the beginning of formalism movement, his works often depict absurd gadgets, landscapes, and characters. As a child I loved reading his books and looking at his wacky illustrations. When I was an adult I discovered is other … | Continue reading
2025 This will get adjusted as time goes on. It’s always hard to predict how fast we’ll be going. Guest lectures will be inserted as soon as they are scheduled, and lecture content will move accordingly. Zoom recordings and lecture note links will go live within a day or so of th … | Continue reading
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Recap Throughout this semester I have managed to complete two successful projects! For the upcycle project, I designed and built a clock which utilizes a moving chain as opposed to clock hands to tell time. Second, for the final project, I designed a PCB lamp for my room. Upcycle … | Continue reading
In the Aesthetics of Design course, I gained insights into the diverse styles found in various products and arts. This included studying the unique characteristics and elements that define different styles, such as minimalism, art deco, modernism, and postmodernism. Through this … | Continue reading
When we started this course we began on upcycling old things to become something new, giving old things life again. For my upcycle project I created a Horse Purse crafted from a horse toy I found at Goodwill. I aimed for a whimsical and fun aesthetic for this project. With some m … | Continue reading
After some debating, I sanded down my project and went for a realism aesthetic with my guillotine. Due to recent issues at the CU Denver campuses and simply overall my art reflects how I’m feeling and what’s stressing me out, I went in this direction. While overboard perhaps, it’ … | Continue reading
Hello everyone, this semester I made two projects for the Aesthetic in Design course at CU Boulder. For the first task we were given the assignment of creating an upcycled project. For this project we had to focus on using already owned or recycled materials to create an object w … | Continue reading
Aesthetics in Design Course Throughout my projects for this Aesthetics in Design course, I utilized my current skills and also learned new ones. I was able to reach out of my comfort zone and also learn a lot about aesthetics. I learned that engineering is not only about the func … | Continue reading
This is my portfolio for some of the projects that I have worked on this year in Aesdes. Overall, I have enjoyed this class as it is something different to what I normally have taken in the past. I liked learning about the various aesthetics throughout different time periods, and … | Continue reading
In this post I will discuss the process of creating my Sisyphus table. Step 1: Mechanical Design Work: My first step with any project is to get the idea figured out in my head. Once I have a rough idea of how the mechanism will look, I sketch it down on paper. Below are some... | Continue reading
A Sisyphus table is a kinetic table that uses a small steel marble to draw intricate designs in sand. I was inspired by some YouTube videos that I saw, similar to the one below. I have been wanting to make one for some time, so this project seemed like the perfect opportunity to … | Continue reading
Hello everyone! This has been a great class, and these two projects were awesome experiences. For my upcycle project, I created a rustic shou sugi ban chess board. The rustic nature of this chess board gives way to a natural, stripped, and simple design. Shou sugi ban refers to c … | Continue reading