HOW THE DRIVE FOR OPTIMISATION RESHAPED ART, AESTHETICS AND US

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

Visual culture has been shaped by optimization principles that originated from industrialization, moved through modernist and minimalist movements, and now dominate digital design through platforms like Instagram. This pursuit of frictionlessness and efficiency has transformed how artists create work, often designing for thumbnail-scale viewing and social media sharing rather than traditional gallery spaces. The optimization aesthetic has colonized everyday life, with platforms imposing visual frameworks that train our perception and affect how we process experiences both online and offline.