I'm sure culture affects what designs people like. What was in the house
where one grew up will be more familiar. It's my guess that it may be
indirect and hard to detect, though. For example, if someone lived in a
house with simple furniture, he may find he likes Japanese-influenced
furniture better than Victorian-influenced furniture, without really
understanding why. There is great worth in understanding why *you* like or
dislike various styles and details, because then it is easier to combine
ideas and create something new. Also there is great value in just being
able to identify the differences (details and history) in styles, because
then one could enjoy building something fresh and unique for someone by just
seeing some pieces they like. Historical pieces, that have stood the test
of time, have essentially proved to be good combinations of dimensions and
details, which also would help.

"charlieb" wrote in message
...
I'm interested in factors which contribute to a good
design. I think that cultural biases play a role, perhaps
a significant role. Here are some examples of cultural
biases that are probably factors that contribute to a
"good design" in one culture but a so-so or bad design
in others.

Western cultures read left to right and then top to bottom
while middle eastern cultures read right to left and then
top to bottom. Eastern cultures read top to bottom and then
left to right. Good western designs have a tendency to
use this bias to draw the viewer's attention around the
piece. The same design "trick" might not work for other
cultures because their "reading paths" are different.

Designs with clockwise "attention paths" are familiar
to cultures where clocks and watches are important but
may seem odd to cultures where time is seen differently.

Some countries had limited woods available - Japan for
example had primarily "soft woods". Did that affect
their approach to design? To get around the limitations
of the range of woods available did they develop various
colored finishes to provide a broader color pallet than
the available woods provided? Europeans had a much broader
range of woods and wood colors so colored finishes weren't
necessary.

Does this make sense to you? Have you any other examples
of cultural biases influencing "good design"?

Am putting together some pages on "design tricks" if
you're interested in adding some images to the topic
(all one line)
www.wood-workers.com/users/charlieb/!Design/DesignTricks1.html

charlie b