What it is and how to spot it.
Taste, in the sense of aesthetic judgment, is the ability to notice differences and choose a form that serves an intention. Develop it by studying references, naming what their details do, and trying alternatives in the actual medium. A choice becomes more precise when you can explain what you want someone to read, feel, or do.
A preference expresses what draws you in. Judgment explains why an option works for this piece, this audience, and this moment. You can enjoy two versions and choose between them for legibility, proportion, or coherence.
How it appears in their fields.
Steve Jobs
At Stanford, Jobs recalled that calligraphy classes at Reed taught him to distinguish type families and attend to letter spacing. While working on the Macintosh, he carried those distinctions into screen design. The team, with contributions including Susan Kare's fonts and icons, made those decisions tangible in an interface. The useful transition is from a reference he knew how to appreciate to choices others could implement and use.[1][2]
Kanye West (Ye)
In 2014, Ye and Jean Touitou compared archival parkas, chose fabric and proportions, and tried several samples for A.P.C. Touitou recognized in the late changes a habit he had observed on Ye's records. The comparison clarifies what changes with the medium. In fashion, altering a sleeve also affects patternmaking, fittings, and the production schedule.[3]
Choose with an explicit criterion
- Take a piece of your work and state what it needs to accomplish in one sentence.
- Gather three references and describe one concrete choice in each, such as a pause, proportion, or contrast.
- Make two versions that vary just one of those choices. Ask someone to describe the effect they notice.
You can justify your final choice with an effect in the piece and an observation from someone who used or viewed it.