CANNES – Beauty is a subjective concept. A person may define beauty differently from another. But however one defines it, for designer and co-founder of design firm Sagmeister & Walsh, Stefan Sagmeister, beauty just makes things infinitely better.
He listed down five reasons why in every thing that we do, beauty should always be taken into consideration:
1. Beauty is part of being human.
Everyone is drawn to things that are beautiful. Sagmeister told a story when he once bought a stone ax on ebay because he found its perfect symmetry a thing of beauty.
2. Beauty changes our mood.
Sagmeister gives the two oxymoronic train stations in New York, the shabby Penn Station and beautiful Grand Central Station. Based on research, the mood of the people who ride in Grand Central Station are significantly better than those in Penn Station.
3. When we lose our mind, we can still recognize beauty.
A test was conducted for people with Alzheimer’s disease by showing them a series of drawings. At the end of the test, the Alzheimer’s patients were able to point out which of the drawings looked good.
4. Beauty improves functionality.
A wall that used to reek with urine was turned into a spot for engagement and even weddings after it was painted with a creative execution of the word ‘yes’.
5. We agree on what is beautiful.
Sagmeister showed two kinds of Mondrian art to the audience. He asked us to spot which one was real and which was not through a show of hands. In the two instances, majority of the people was able to identify the authentic artwork.
Having said all this, Sagmeister concluded, “if you embrace beauty, the stuff that you do will be better.”
