Visual pleasure, a good thing?

1. Virginia Postrel makes several claims in her article "The Aesthetic Imperative: "To succeed, hard-nosed engineers, real estate developers and MBAs must take aesthetic communication...seriously," "The issue is not what style is used but rather that style is used...even in areas where function stands alone," "Sensory appeals are everywhere...they are intensifying." Besides these three claims, smaller themes emerge throughout her writing: Consumers first want function but also demand their products to look good, aesthetics delights us and pleases us because we are sensory beings and finally, aesthetics is basically why consumers buy products.

2. Postrel uses testimonies from experts involved in Aesthetic research, peers that buy apple products because of their looks and she also cites biologists and psychologists to support her claims. By using numerous examples, her claims are reinforced and supported well. Its easy to believe her if everyone else does. 

3. In order to unite her claims and data, Postrel uses many different types of warrants that reasonably authorize data-claim movements. Postrel assumes that aesthetic pleasure is a good thing because companies can produce it and consumers ultimately seek it. In order to bridge these two ideas together, Postrel uses the substantive warrant: if we make pretty products then people will buy them. Postrel also uses ethos in her examples. Everyone loves Starbucks and Apple products- which are both very pretty. This warrant makes the audience feel good because many people participate in these products everyday. She makes it seem like buying products for their looks is a good thing and we should be encouraged to do so. This leads us into the pathos warrant. Postrel makes the reader think that if they buy pretty products they will feel good. Since we do buy good-looking products, we should be proud of ourselves for indulging in our natural "sensory" cravings. I'm so grateful for my beautiful Mac! 

4. At some level, Aesthetics makes us feel good. Lighting a purple candle in my blue bathroom gives me pleasure and happiness. Those things may not serve a practical function to others, but their function of gratification is important to me. Aesthetics also serves a class purpose. It may be discriminatory in its own way but aesthetics provides a distinction between classes, seasons in fashion, styles, cultures, years, lifestyles; aesthetics mark time in history and stages in life. Function and practicality come first but aesthetics make it your own.