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Design Beyond Aesthetics
A journal exploring electronic music, sound, and visual culture through a design perspective—connecting technology, rhythm, and contemporary creative practice. This platform focuses on the structures behind electronic music: from techno and house to sound design, production, and cultural movements. It examines how music is shaped by machines, systems, and environments—bridging design thinking with sonic experimentation.
While rooted in design, the focus shifts toward electronic music as a cultural and technological language, analyzing genres, artists, tools, and the spaces where sound becomes experience. Published on otaviosantiago.com, this is an independent perspective on how music, design, and technology intersect—moving beyond aesthetics into structure, systems, and culture.
Graphic, Web & Motion Designer
What Was the First Electronic Music Album? And What Did It Look Like?
Electronic music has accumulated such a recognisable visual vocabulary that it is difficult to imagine a time before it. We associate it with grids and machines, geometric typography and synthetic colour, anonymous figures, industrial landscapes, computer-generated forms and images of futures that seem alternately utopian, clinical or already obsolete. These associations have been repeated across record sleeves, clubs, flyers, magazines and screens for decades, to the point t
17 hours ago
Pier 865: The Walkable Sculpture Transforming Knoxville’s Park into Living Architecture
Pier 865: The Walkable Sculpture Transforming Knoxville’s Park Public art rarely invites you to touch it — let alone walk on it, rest beneath it, or climb through it. Pier 865, the newest installation by MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY, breaks that boundary entirely. More than a walkable sculpture, it is a piece of walkable architecture, reshaping Knoxville’s historic park into an immersive spatial experience where art, nature, and community merge. A Structure Lifted from the Lands
Jul 10
Gambey Paris Apartment: PAF Atelier and BB Architectes Redefine Space with a Perforated Mezzanine
Gambey Paris Apartment as Interior Architecture The Gambey Paris Apartment, designed by PAF Atelier and BB Architectes, transforms a compact dwelling in Paris’s 11th arrondissement through a single, carefully inserted architectural element. Rather than dividing the apartment into conventional rooms, the project is organized around a freestanding steel structure that concentrates circulation, storage, and programming into one cohesive interior framework. This approach allows t
Jun 26
Elysées Lincoln Cinema Reopens in Paris with Pastel Hues and Velvet Atmospheres
The historic Elysées Lincoln cinema in Paris has been reborn through a vibrant renovation led by architect Louis Denavaut. At a time when independent cinemas across Europe are disappearing, the project introduces a bold new identity built around color, texture, and atmosphere. Pastel tones, velvet surfaces, and precise geometries evoke a subtle Wes Anderson–like sensibility, transforming the venue into a contemporary cultural and social space. A New Identity for the Elysées L
Jun 20
Wooden Compass for Dementia Orientation: How Aumens Uses Design to Restore Direction and Autonomy
A Wooden Compass Designed for Dementia Orientation The wooden compass for dementia orientation, developed by Aumens, begins with a problem that is both practical and deeply human: people living with dementia often lose their sense of direction, even in places they know well. A short walk to a nearby store can suddenly become disorienting or dangerous — not because the environment has changed, but because spatial orientation has. The wooden compass was designed with a single,
Jun 5
Blue Temple Builds Earthquake-Resistant Modular Bamboo Housing in Myanmar for the Price of a Smartphone
Modular Bamboo Housing for Extreme Conditions The modular bamboo housing project in Myanmar developed by Blue Temple in collaboration with Housing Now demonstrates how architecture can respond to crisis with precision, speed, and dignity. Located in the Bago region, the initiative delivers low-cost, earthquake-resistant homes designed for communities affected by conflict and natural disasters. Each unit can be constructed in just seven days and costs approximately 1,000 USD—a
May 31
Rediscovering the Mazda Suitcase Car: The Portable Vehicle That Fit Inside a Samsonite
A Forgotten Experiment in Portable Mobility In the early 1990s, long before micro-mobility became a global obsession, Mazda quietly engineered one of the most unusual vehicles in automotive history: the Mazda suitcase car. Designed as a compact, three-wheeled vehicle that could be stored inside a hard-shell Samsonite suitcase, the project explored the boundaries between transportation, portability, and industrial design. Created between 1989 and 1991, the concept emerged from
May 18
Maison Louis Vuitton Sanlitun: Jun Aoki Designs a Colour-Shifting Architectural Dress in Beijing
Maison Louis Vuitton Sanlitun rises in the heart of Beijing as a fluid, translucent structure that blurs the line between architecture, fashion, and landscape. Designed by Japanese studio Jun Aoki & Associates, the four-storey flagship features a shimmering facade of dichroic glass that shifts colour with light, movement, and season—an architectural interpretation of a Louis Vuitton dress. Fashion and Architecture Merge at Maison Louis Vuitton Sanlitun The facade of Maison Lo
May 15
Black Spatial Tradition Architecture: Portland’s Grain Silos Reimagined as a Cultural Complex
The transformation of a former grain terminal along Portland’s Willamette River into a cultural complex marks a significant moment for Black spatial tradition architecture in contemporary urban design. Known as the Albina Riverside project, the proposal reframes adaptive reuse not only as a material strategy, but as a cultural and spatial act of repair. Designed collaboratively by US studios AD—WO, MALL, and Wayside Studio, the project reclaims a neglected industrial waterfro
May 14
Bianca Censori’s Bio Pop: Performance Furniture, Power, and the Architecture of Bodily Constraint
Bianca Censori Bio Pop Performance Furniture as Social Architecture Bianca Censori’s Bio Pop performance furniture marks a provocative intersection between design, architecture, and performance art. Presented in Seoul, the work transforms tables, chairs, and chandeliers into apparatuses that physically restrain women’s bodies, reframing furniture not as passive objects, but as active agents of power. Rather than functioning as utilitarian supports, the furniture operates as a
May 10
Recycled Food Waste Robotics: EPFL’s ‘Claw’ Machines Made from Crustacean Shells
When Food Waste Becomes Functional Technology At EPFL’s CREATE Lab, scientists are redefining the boundaries between waste, biology, and robotics. In a recent study, researchers developed robotic claw machines made from recycled food waste , using crustacean shells—specifically langoustine tails—as structural components for functional robotic systems. The project challenges the dominance of metal, plastic, and synthetic composites by asking a radical question: can biological
Mar 11
A Metallic Paper Piggy Bank That Teaches Children to Save and Give
PLANBUREAU Studio has created a metallic paper piggy bank for the Hungarian branch of Red Noses International , an organization that supports hospital clown doctors. The brief was simple yet challenging: design an object for the charity shop that teaches children how to save and how to donate, all while keeping the retail price under 10 EUR and production costs low. The result is a playful, build-it-yourself piggy bank made entirely of paper. This design turns a familiar ob
Feb 22
Creative Branding Solutions for Unique Identities
In a world flooded with countless brands and businesses, standing out is no longer a luxury - it’s a necessity. How do you carve a space that feels truly yours? How do you ensure your identity resonates deeply and memorably? The answer lies in embracing unique branding solutions that reflect your essence and captivate your audience. Today, I want to take you on a journey through the art and science of crafting identities that don’t just speak but sing. Why Unique Branding So
Feb 19
Design and 3D: From Visual Experimentation to Cultural Language
Design and 3D are no longer separate territories. What began as technical experimentation has evolved into a new visual language — one that reshapes how we experience identity, space, and digital culture. 3D is not just a tool. It is a shift in perception. How Design and 3D Started to Converge The relationship between design and 3D began quietly, inside software labs and motion studios. Early 3D tools were complex, slow, and reserved for specialists in animation or industria
Feb 15
Design and Art: Where Visual Culture, Function, and Expression Intersect
The relationship between design and art has shaped visual culture for centuries. While often treated as separate disciplines, design and art continuously influence, challenge, and redefine one another. Together, they form a shared language of expression, structure, meaning, and cultural reflection . Design is commonly associated with function, clarity, and communication. Art is associated with expression, interpretation, and autonomy. Yet in practice, the boundary between
Feb 11
Design and Culture: How Visual Language Shapes Contemporary Meaning
Design and culture are inseparable. Every visual system carries cultural codes, historical references, and social values that shape how meaning is produced and perceived. From exhibitions and institutions to music, architecture , and digital platforms, design operates as a cultural language — one that translates ideas into visual structures capable of engaging emotion, memory, and knowledge. Design and Culture as a Visual Language Design functions beyond aesthetics. It is a
Feb 3
Design in Conflict: Lebanese Students Reimagine Design for Life Under War
Design in Conflict is an exhibition that brings together architecture and design students from Lebanon to confront the realities of living under continuous instability. Hosted inside Beirut’s abandoned Burj El Murr skyscraper, the show presents speculative yet deeply practical projects addressing life shaped by war, interruption, and resilience. Organised by Archifeed alongside product designer Youssef Bassil and design engineer Tark Mahmoud, the exhibition positions design
Jan 28
LEO Flight Unveils the Electric Solo JetBike — A Propeller-Free Personal Air Vehicle for Unlicensed Pilots
An Electric Solo JetBike With Enclosed Jet Propulsion Instead of Propellers LEO Flight has introduced the electric Solo JetBike , a compact one-person aircraft concept that hovers using electric jets instead of propellers . This innovative design serves as a low-altitude personal air vehicle that requires no pilot’s license . The electric Solo JetBike proposes a radically different approach to ultralight aviation. Following the still-concept LEO Coupe , the JetBike utilizes
Jan 22
Understanding the Allure of Minimalist Techno Aesthetics
Minimalist techno aesthetics have carved out a unique space in the world of electronic music and design. Their subtle power lies in the art of less - a deliberate choice to strip away excess and focus on the essence. But what exactly draws us to this refined style? Why does it resonate so deeply with creative minds and brands alike? As someone who has explored the intersection of sound and visual storytelling, I find the allure of minimalist techno both fascinating and instr
Jan 18
Les Caryatides Guyancourt: When Irony Becomes Architectural Infrastructure
Les Caryatides Guyancourt and French Postmodernism Les Caryatides Guyancourt stands as one of the most provocative expressions of French postmodern architecture from the early 1990s. Designed by Manuel Núñez Yanowsky, the housing complex emerges at a moment when architects in France were actively rejecting late-modern functionalism and reintroducing history, symbolism, and theatrical form into the built environment. Alongside figures like Ricardo Bofill and Christian de Port
Jan 16
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