087 MAYA
A strategy for determining the most commercially viable aesthetic for a design.
• The most advanced yet acceptable principle (MAYA) was proposed by Raymond Loewy, the father of industrial design.
• MAYA asserts that aesthetic appeal is a balancing act between uniqueness and familiarity—i.e., a product should stretch the definition of a product category, but still be recognizable as a member of that category.
• The principle has been tested empirically, and it does appear that the most novel design that is also somewhat familiar has the greatest aesthetic appeal.
• Consider MAYA when designing for general audiences. In contexts where aesthetic assessments are made by design or art experts, MAYA does not apply. In these cases, novelty is weighed more heavily than familiarity.
See Also Form Follows Function • IKEA Effect Mere-Exposure Effect • von Restorff Effect
