Design and value: The ethical nature of beautiful design

Design theory is increasingly acknowledging the ethical nature of Design. At the same
\ntime, philosophers are becoming increasingly aware of the aesthetic potential of Design, and of its
\ndistinctive claim to beauty. Yet Design theorists and philosophers alike have failed to note the
\nconnection between the ethical nature of Design and its beauty. In this article, I argue that beautiful
\ndesign is fundamentally ethical in nature. To this end, I develop what I call an axiological concep�tion of functional beauty, whereby beauty is linked to other values, I broaden the notion of func�tions relevant to design to accommodate the many possible affordances of Design objects, and I
\nargue that beautiful design is design that manifests deep, ethical, concern: beautiful design is care�full design. I suggest that this can take a number of forms, and seek to distill some of these through
\ndetailed discussion of several examples of beautiful design