PS - Skeuomorphism definition: "Strictly speaking it means retaining design features from earlier designs when those features previously had a specific reason for being that way, but do not any longer." - http://madebymany.com/blog/apples-aesthetic-dichotomy
Dear author: Please stop misusing 'less'. It should be _fewer_ disks, _fewer_ books. Fewer is for discrete things, less is for continuous. As in: fewer dollars, less money. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fewer/less
This execution isn't addressing the readers needs, but it would be interesting to see several different attempts at a redesign. It would be a fun challenge for interaction designers.
Why is the first comment on all blog posts about magazines folding something along the lines of "oh no! I just paid $9 for a two year subscription!"
$9 is less than most people pay daily at starbucks. No wonder magazines can't stay in business. The perceived value of print magazines has fallen to near zero.
You need to play with the 'cities and knights' extension. It makes the game more complex. Also try the board game Puerto Rico, which we're just getting into but seems pretty awesome.
It is definitely valid to say that packaging helps sell a product. Think about the experience of receiving a product from Apple and you see the value of packaging.
What is so interesting in this case is that it is a sign of how people's tastes are changing. These new, simple Amazon packages have more 'charm', not less. People are excited by the thought that they're being 'green'. The simple cardboard packaging speaks to the current love of simple, clean and even perhaps DIY design. Simple is charming right now, and Amazon must be keenly aware that this is a smart move both for their bottom line as well as their customer satisfaction ratings.
No, style and aesthetics are intrinsically tied to usability and studies have shown this again and again. Check out Malcom Gladwell's Blink for a few colloquial examples. For more formal research studies, email me.
Yes there is. His layout doesn't follow the grid at all, which creates additional cognitive load/eye strain when reading. Also aesthetics affects usability. In studies, it has been shown that people find things which are more aesthetically pleasing to them actually more _usable_ than equally structured but non-'beautiful' things.
PS - Skeuomorphism definition: "Strictly speaking it means retaining design features from earlier designs when those features previously had a specific reason for being that way, but do not any longer." - http://madebymany.com/blog/apples-aesthetic-dichotomy