Aesthetic Factors

Aesthetics concerns how a product looks and feels. When selecting paper or board, a designer considers the intended appearance alongside what the product must do. A poster needs to present its message clearly; a gift box may also need to look attractive and feel special to handle.

Four important aesthetic factors are form, colour, texture and surface graphics. They work together: a suitable shape can be undermined by an unsuitable colour or a surface that does not reproduce the graphics clearly.

Form: creating the intended shape

Form is the shape and overall physical configuration of a product. A flat rectangular poster and a folded three-dimensional carton have different forms, even though both can be made from paper-based materials.

Papers and boards can be cut, folded, bent and shaped. Material selection therefore influences which forms can be achieved. A designer must choose material that can be shaped as intended and maintain the required form during use.

Suppose a designer is making a folded gift box. Board that can be cut and folded neatly into panels helps create a well-defined box shape. For a paper decoration with many small folds, ease of folding may be more important. The choice is not simply about which material looks attractive as a flat sheet: it must also produce the intended finished shape.

Colour: setting an impression and communicating

Paper and board can be manufactured in different colours or left with a natural brown or grey appearance. Colour can also be introduced through printing.

Colour helps designers match branding, attract attention and communicate information. For example, a packaging designer might select a coloured board that matches the identity of a product range. A poster designer might choose a background that contrasts with the lettering so that the message is easy to read.

The starting colour of the material matters because it forms part of the finished appearance. Natural brown board and white board provide different backgrounds for the same graphics. Neither is automatically better: the appropriate choice depends on the intended visual effect.

Texture and finish: how the surface looks and feels

Texture describes the surface character of a material, such as whether it is rough or smooth. It affects both the impression a product creates and the experience of handling it. Corrugated card can have a rough texture, while solid white board can provide a very smooth surface.

Texture also connects aesthetics with printing. A smooth surface is useful where clear text or detailed colour images are important. Inkjet card, for example, has a smooth surface suited to high-quality colour printing.

Surface finish is related to texture but includes appearances such as matt, glossy or reflective. A reflective foil-lined surface produces a different visual effect from a matt surface. Designers should choose the effect that suits the product rather than assume that a shiny finish is always more attractive.

Surface graphics: decoration with a purpose

Surface graphics include text, photographs, illustrations, logos, symbols and patterns. They can decorate a product, identify a brand or communicate information. On packaging, graphics can help users recognise the product; on a poster, they carry the message.

The paper or board must provide a suitable surface for these graphics. For a colourful photographic poster, smooth inkjet card supports the intended appearance by reproducing colour images clearly. For packaging, the designer should consider the graphics together with the material’s background colour and finish so that the information remains readable.

A justified material choice connects these factors to the application. Rather than choosing a material simply because it is ‘attractive’, explain which shape, colour, texture or printed effect it enables and why that suits the product.