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Title: The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (P.S.)
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Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
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| The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (P.S.) by Harper Perennial Confuses Popularity with Quality | An interesting book, very readable, full of interesting anecdotes. The big problem is her message. The book is an interesting example of "Free-Market Religion" and libertinist branches of libertarianism. The basic argument presented reduces to the market favors the aesthetics of ordinary people, therefore the aesthetics of ordinary people are superior to actual engineering quality which only a relative handful value, and even fewer understand. Aesthetics / design is important, but the market is a mediocre judge.
| | The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (P.S.) by Harper Perennial Measuring aesthetics | Substance of Style is an interesting introduction to the long standing debate of value of aesthetics. The critics like to denounce 'styling' as form without content, not a source of value but a tool of deception and manipulation. Virginia Postrel, on the other hand, tries to make the case for aesthetics as an autonomous value - not a moral defense, or simply for its own sake, but as our natural preference.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the arguments are inconclusive at best. Both sides lack conclusive evidence, and it is unlikely that anyone will settle this debate in the near future. As with all things in design, it's up to the reader to decide on the camp. Overall, it's an interesting read, and serves a gentle introduction to the debate - if you're curious, it should be worth the invested time. | | The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (P.S.) by Harper Perennial Maslow revisited | Postrel main idea is that Maslow's classical "Hierarchy of needs" is based on a misstated premise: that human beings pursue aesthetics needs only after fulfilling basic needs. She argues that even poor people, given a minimum of stability and sustenance, will enrich their lives by decorating their houses or by buying Gucci handbags. Thus, design and aesthetics in general become as important as function.
She proposes a variation to Maslow similar to microeconomics theory: the marginal value of some needs drops faster than others' as we move up on the ladder. Therefore, the pyramid is rather dynamic, and we move back and forth on the available options depending on what options are available and at what costs.
Is this a general human trait or just a 21st century phenomenon, driven by globalisation, more refined marketing techniques and access to new technologies?
Find out in this well-written, economically justified book full of psychological insight. An aesthetics manifesto. | | The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (P.S.) by Harper Perennial The book will change your life... | And I'm not being stupid. Seriously, Virginia Postrel's Substance of Style has had about as big a practical impact on me that any book could possibly have. Why? Well, she documents something that we're witness to every day, i.e. the rise of design-consciousness and aesthetic sensibility that has swept over the country.
For me, the big takeaway from the book was the phrase "Smart and Pretty," which becomes a motif that weaves through the book once it's introduced. Postrel posits that "smart and pretty" is the new normal if you will. Used to be that design was frilly, important only on the margins. Like, it's the content that counts. She's documenting ways in which nowadays that's changing (and has already changed) and that style has become substantive.
For me, it was a tremendous read because, as someone who's always insisting things look good, she made me feel justified in my instistence. Like, looks aren't just important on the margins--they symbolize clear thinking and intellectual richesse. If you want to be able to win a fight about dressing up your work, you should definitely read this book. | | The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (P.S.) by Harper Perennial more than skin deep | We often think of style and fashion as frivoloous things: certainly the debate over the teaching of evolution in Kansas' schools, or the war in Iraq, or abuses of eminent domain should rank as higher priorities in our intellectual lives than mere style. Beauty, after all, is only skin deep.
Right? Well, while it's tempting to dismiss style as something that concerns only the flighty classes, there is a surprising amount of substance to the question of style. Postrel applies a sort of study of semiotics to the question of style, and finds that style, and awareness of it, permeates our culture, in both high and low places. Fine European fashion houses like Chanel and Armani, which have branded themselves as the pre-eminent exemplars of "style" in clothing are obvious examples of how important style is to a given industry. But, as Postrel points out, much of mall-based American retail is an exercise in style as well: Target competes successfully against Wal-Mart precisely because it has developed a niche of delvering style to the masses.
A highly recommended book.
| | The Substance of Style: How the Rise of Aesthetic Value Is Remaking Commerce, Culture, and Consciousness (P.S.) by Harper Perennial Product Description | Whether it's sleek leather pants, a shiny new Apple computer, or a designer toaster, we make important decisions as consumers every day based on our sensory experience. Sensory appeals are everywhere, and they are intensifying, radically changing how Americans live and work. The twenty-first century has become the age of aesthetics, and whether we realize it or not, this influence has taken over the marketplace, and much more. In this penetrating, keenly observed book, Virginia Postrel makes the argument that appearance counts, that aesthetic value is real. Drawing from fields as diverse as fashion, real estate, politics, design, and economics, Postrel deftly chronicles our culture's aesthetic imperative and argues persuasively that it is a vital component of a healthy, forward-looking society. Intelligent, incisive, and thought-provoking, The Substance of Style is a groundbreaking portrait of the democratization of taste and a brilliant examination of the way we live now. |
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