What are consumer design aesthetics?
The Center for Aesthetic Research Institute (CARI) is a group of design researchers who analyze (Western) consumer aesthetics! CARI examines interior and graphic design over the past ~60 years, comparing them with consumer trends of the time. These are different than TikTok microtrend "aesthetics" like cottagecore, fairycore, clean girl, etc.
If you were born in the 20th century or early 00s, you'll probably recognize at least a few of these styles. Retail locations you visited might've had a Frasurbane design, while your local cinema possibly had a Decoplex aesthetic. If not, many of the shows or movies you watched featured them!
It's been depressing to see corporations strip away personality from their branding and physical locations. I mean, look at the evolution of Starbucks or McDonald's interiors! We're losing the whimsy of ingenuitive public spaces, all because profiteers want to rake in money for themselves. Anyway...
[Picture: Nickelodeon Studios, then and now. Depressing, right?] :(
Some of these photos collected by CARI members transport me back to some of my favorite museums, bookstores, and restaurants as a kid. Aside from nostalgia, some interiors fall into the realm of liminal spaces, another interest of mine!
Click the menu tabs to read about some of my favorite design aesthetics!