Two Conceptions of Taste (Aaron Swartz's Raw Thought)

That doesn’t give product designers the license to ignore philosophy. Rather, in my case, I recognized I’m not a philosopher myself; I’m closer to a carpenter. As a maker of products, I always turned less to the theoretical and more to the applied. I have my own definition of taste, and while it isn’t as profound as Kant’s, it’s a useful tool, like

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Taste is some combination of design, user experience, and emotional resonance that defines how a product connects with people and aligns with their values and identity.

Taste is not some idea of good design and brand. That definition isn’t rooted in a single damn thing.

Taste is that personalizing moment, that got transferred spiritually. It’s Naoto Fukasawa’s idea of embodiment in design. It didn’t come from a vague notion of “being good”. NOOOOOOOOO it came from dropping in on that moment in life, being ready an... See more