Designing aesthetic concepts: Can it be done?

Abstract

This work explores if it is possible to operationalize aesthetic concepts. In the two studies undertaken, different compositions of design elements, such as color and shapes, were used to test whether they have the capability of contributing to the perception of a particular aesthetic concept. In each study. 29 participants (both students and professionals) took part. Participants evaluated a series of abstract pictures and rated how mysterious, complex, familiar, and interesting they thought the pictures were. In the first study, each picture was constructed by using 9, 18, or 27 shapes. The shapes u.sed were either circles, squares, unfamiliar shapes, or a mixture of all three. Additionally, the shapes used were either partially hidden or fully visible. In the second study, the shapes were also presented using two different colors and shades. The results were analyzed using a repeated measures ANOVA, and It was found that certain design elements indeed have the capacity to impact upon the way in which stimuli are perceived. However, the input of particular design elements lo the way in which pictures are perceived is complicated in that they are often indirect contributions through interactions with other design elements.

The Validity of the MSCEIT: Additional Analyses and Evidence

“…Regarding this branch, Maul asked us to clarify why we include landscapes and designs. To respond, many forms of visual stimuli connote certain emotions: Barren landscapes often connote sadness, sharp angles are associated with anger, and squiggly lines potentially indicate humor and joy (Buck, 1984; Hevner, 1935; Jansson-Boyd, 2011; Kastl & Child, 1968; Rosenhan & Messick, 1966; Windhager et al, 2008). Collectively, the ability to perceive these seemed (to us) to represent expertise in perceiving emotion and factor analyses indicated that the ability to perceive such emotional connotations was related to the overall MSCEIT test scores.…”

A Case for Using Ability-Based Emotional Intelligence Measures in the Selection of Trainee Psychologists

“…Perceiving Emotion (Branch 1) requires test takers to identify emotional content in faces (one task) and landscapes and designs (a second task). The test authors surmise that many forms of visual stimuli connote certain emotions as supported by various research: Barren landscapes often connote sadness, sharp angles are associated with anger, and squiggly lines potentially indicate humor and joy (Buck, 1984;Hevner, 1935;Jansson-Boyd, 2011;Kastl & Child, 1968;Mayer, et al, 2012;Rosenhan & Messick, 1966;Windhager, Slice, Schaefer, Oberzaucher, Thorstensen, & Grammer, 2008). As such, Mayer et al (2012) believe that the ability to perceive emotion in faces and visual stimuli represents expertise in perceiving emotion.…”

Aesthetics-based mystery in advertising: the roles of consumers’ high-end product perceptions and the construal level of ad words

“…Mystery is what cannot be known or is yet to be revealed (Jansson-Boyd, 2011;Kaplan, 1987;Martindale, 1988). It is related to something uncertain, unpredictable or unknown, suggesting perceived indeterminacy or the cause cannot be resolved (Anderson, 1996).…”

“…(Stevenson andLindberg, 2010, p. 1159). It can be evoked via viewers' pure appreciation of sensory cues including colors, shapes and graphics (Jansson-Boyd, 2011;Martindale, 1988). For instance, to make a pointof-purchase display appear mysterious, retailers/marketers may adopt design elements such as graphics of the immense universe and vast expanse of the starry sky (Martindale, 1988) and/or mystery-evoking colors such as black and purple (Singh and Srivastava, 2011).…”