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Five reasons why beauty
matters according to
Stefan Sagmeister
B
eauty is a subjective
concept. A person may
define beauty differently
from another. But however
one defines it, for designer and cofounder 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:
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.
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adobo magazine | July - August 2016
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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.
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.
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’.
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.”