Aesthetic Intelligence

As we have already seen with the rise of social media, human activity will continue to focus on what I call REM: relationships, experiences, and memories.

There is already a blurring of lines happening between male and female; straight and gay; black and white; and young and old.3

The modern consumer, no longer driven to accumulate material possessions, seeks depth, authenticity, and meaning.

Goal: What do you want them to experience?

For example, words such as nice, tasty, and soft are generic adjectives, while words such as lilting, salty, and gelatinous express information with precision and distinction.

If you cannot show why your product or your company needs to exist, you are doomed to disappear. And few will notice or care when you’re gone.

Words and images, tones and textures, moods and personalities—they need to work together seamlessly.

Packaging has to tell a story, and it has to do it quickly—first impressions count.

Color is vitally important. Almost 90 percent of snap judgments made about products are based on color alone, according to research

So I decided to organize my preferences by moving beyond the question of “What do I like?” and categorizing images and three-dimensional ideas into “What do I want to feel within each room?” and “How do I want to live in this particular area?”