Aesthetics is a broad term that refers to the study of beauty, taste, and the appreciation of art. Pierre Bourdieu, a French sociologist, developed a theory of aesthetics that is based on the idea that aesthetics is a form of cultural capital (cultural capital is the perceived value in one's cultural knowledge and tastes). Bourdieu argued that aesthetics is not simply a matter of personal preference, but is also a way of marking social distinction. He argued that people from different social classes have different aesthetic tastes and that these tastes reflect their different positions in the social hierarchy.
Bourdieu's theory of aesthetics has helped us to understand the way that aesthetics is used to mark social distinction, and the way that it is acquired through a process of socialization.
Here are some of the key concepts in Bourdieu's theory of aesthetics:
Habitus: This is a system of dispositions that is acquired through a process of socialization. Habitus shapes our tastes, our preferences, and our ways of seeing the world.
Cultural capital: Like financial capital, cultural capital is accumulated over time. But it is not defined in terms of physical or monetary assets but in terms of a person's cultural knowledge, preferences and tastes. Cultural capital can be also used to accumulate social status and power.
Distinction: This is the process of marking social difference through the consumption of goods and services. Aesthetics is a form of distinction, and it can be used to signal one's social status.
Bourdieu's theory of aesthetics is a complex and nuanced theory that has helped us to understand the way that aesthetics is used in society. It is a valuable tool for understanding the way that social class, power, and culture intersect.
For me, aesthetics is the elephant in the room of graphic design education. We spend much of our efforts teaching students how to appreciate “good design” but rarely do we reflect on where our appreciation of what we consider “good” comes from. Furthermore, students will often produce critical writing that appraises particular design work in terms of their aesthetic value with little discussion of what makes one piece of graphic design more aesthetically valuable than another. Taste, according to Bourdieu, is the application of aesthetic knowledge by different – classed – groups of people. Those who are invested in understanding why we consider some designs (and designers) to be “good” while others we consider to be bad should think about adopting Bourdieu’s ideas.
Some themes that could be explored while considering aesthetics and taste are:
How do aesthetics and taste influence the work that graphic designers produce? Also, how do these influence who graphic designers choose to work for and with?
What is the role of aesthetics in the context of specific types of consumer products (e.g. bottled water, alcoholic drinks, cosmetics) and how does graphic design reflect or contribute to the notion of taste in these contexts?
How can a recognition of aesthetics and taste improve the uses of graphic design within a specific context?