Written Reflection of The Nature & Design of Aesthetics, by David Pye

This article was an interesting read and made several notable points about a variety of subjects. I have chosen a few that were most thought provoking and noteworthy.

“We must distinguish between ‘limitations’ set by our unwillingness to incur work and trouble on the one hand, and real limitations set by our inability as workmen on the other.”

The quote above was found on the first page of the reading. I thought this was an excellent point and actually very relevant to the project we are currently working on. Often we cite that a design cannot be done, but what we really mean is that it will not be done because we are not willing to put in the time and effort. One thing I have learned about design, is the more time and the effort that I put into something, not only does the end result improve, but our satisfaction and joy from the finished work exponentially increase.

On the other hand, the article later states this: “the only considerable technical
limitation on design are imposed by our ineptitude at processing material”. This is an important point to consider in the design stage as well. Sometimes we have to realize that we do have limitations and that we might end up with a better result if we first recognize these and accept them. If we realize initially that building in a large size (greater than X dimensions) is a limitation, we can start right away in designing something smaller and have more time to explore this design and improve upon it throughout the process.