by Joseph Fioramonti | May 29, 2026 | study-results
The Aesthetic of “Elevated” and the Problem of Modern Luxury What do people mean when something feels “elevated”? It’s a word that gets used constantly in branding, packaging, interiors, and creative direction, but like most aesthetic language, it points to a feeling...
by Joseph Fioramonti | Apr 22, 2026 | study-results
The Aesthetic of “Edgy” and the Problem of Distressed Fonts What do people mean when something feels “edgy”? It’s a word that shows up in creative direction all the time, but like most aesthetic language, it points to a vibe more than a clear set of...
by Joseph Fioramonti | Feb 19, 2026 | study-results
The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild Sells Games. Ocarina of Time Sells Movies. A live-action Zelda film is in production, and the internet has strong opinions about what it should look like. We put 72 images in front of 30 participants and let them react on...
by Joseph Fioramonti | Jan 30, 2026 | study-results
What Do Clients Mean When They Say “Make It Pop?” Every designer has heard it: “Can you make it pop?” It’s one of the most common pieces of creative feedback, and one of the hardest to act on, because it points to a feeling more than a...
by Joseph Fioramonti | Jan 20, 2026 | study-results
When We Look at Robots, What Are We Really Seeing? Understanding the Tools-Versus-Beings Divide in Robot Perception What makes a robot seem helpful versus creepy? Using our platform Constellations, designed to capture perception through visual interaction, we asked...
by Joseph Fioramonti | Dec 24, 2025 | featured, study-results
Will The Most Authentic Santa Please Stand Up People don’t judge Santa’s authenticity by how he looks, they judge it by what he’s doing. Participants reveal a clear preference framework: Santa’s authenticity is defined not by adherence to a single...
