Neuroaesthetics: Design for the Mind

Neuroaesthetics is an emerging field that’s increasingly relevant to our creative practice at Giles Miller Studio. Defined as the neuroscientific study of how the brain processes aesthetic, cultural, and technological experiences, it explores how these stimuli are connected to our brains, bodies, and behaviours.

In 2024, Design Hotels published a report in collaboration with the neuroaesthetics research studio Kinda Studios and hardware brand FSB. The publication brings together insights from science, technology, and the arts, serving as a practical guide for applying neuroaesthetic principles across architecture, hospitality, exhibitions, and wellbeing environments.

For the team at GMS, this study provides a valuable framework for designing with greater intention, enabling us to craft more meaningful and impactful artistic experiences when commissioned for projects. The report begins by exploring the scientific foundations of neuroaesthetics, asserting that:

“Understanding these neurophysiological responses is crucial in an era where art, design and culture are vital ingredients to support our mental, physical and emotional health.”

The document also delves into neuroaesthetics in architecture & design, highlighting:

“The best neuroaesthetics designs come out of a creative process looking at the wider space, its interaction and response to its surroundings, and the individuals who will inhabit it.”

Beyond the individual perception, the report examines the broader potential of design to encourage belonging, community, transformation, and longevity. It explores how the character, culture, and physical form of built environments shape our sense of identity and connection, how we flourish in spaces that nurture shared experience, and how there is a growing desire for transformative environments that align with our psychological and physiological needs. Finally, it emphasises the increasing importance of leveraging the connections between nature, environment, and human health.