ABSTRACT
The sense of ‘rightness’ of a design can be compelling. Its converse aesthetic ‘wrongness’ is as powerful, for each can inspire to greatness or seduce to mislead. The question is: what guide can there be, beyond brute functional considerations, for determining design? The obvious answer is aesthetics. We can, indeed, only escape aesthetics in those rare situations when functional efficiency entirely dominates. Thus occasionally there may be just one best shape for the blade of a knife, or the prow of a boat, or whatever; but generally there is freedom of choice for design – and with it the danger of damaging disagreement, preventing the job getting done.
