Once in a while, someone comes along and puts words to your own convictions so well that you just have to take a step back and point…

Why do Design and Aesthetic matter?

Stephen P. Anderson nails it at A List Apart, making the case for the value of design and aesthetics in the making of things… Probably the best case I’ve seen yet, and I will be forwarding this on, far and wide… Best of all, he’s a Poet and a Painter.

Excerpt:

Perhaps more importantly, “aesthetics examines our affective domain response to an object or phenomenon” (according to Wikipedia). In other words, aesthetics is not just about the artistic merit of web buttons or other visual effects, but about how people respond [my emphasis] to these elements. Our question becomes: how do aesthetic design choices influence understanding and emotions, and how do understanding and emotions influence behavior?

go check it out.