materiality
The physical quality or substance of an object, emphasizing its tactile, visual, and structural properties as they relate to design.
In design, 'materiality' is not just what a product is made of, but how the choice of material affects the user's emotional and sensory experience.
Word relationships
- physicality: Physicality refers simply to the state of being physical, while materiality focuses on the specific qualities and expressive potential of physical substances.
- substance: Substance refers to the physical matter itself, whereas materiality encompasses the design philosophy and sensory impact of that matter.
- immateriality: The state of having no physical substance; spiritual or digital nature.
Commonly confused with
- materialism: Materialism is the cultural obsession with acquiring physical possessions, while materiality is the philosophical appreciation of physical materials in design.
Word family
- material (noun): The matter from which a thing is or can be made.
- materialize (verb): To become actual fact; to take physical form.
Collocations
- explore materiality
- honest materiality
- materiality of objects
- sensory materiality
Example sentences
- "The exhibition celebrated the materiality of wood, showing how its grain and warmth could soften modern minimalist furniture." Design exhibition review
- "A designer must respect the materiality of plastic, using its flexibility to create organic shapes rather than forcing it to mimic metal." Industrial design lecture
Memory hook
Think of 'material-reality'—materiality is about the real, physical materials you can touch and see in a design. Materiality is the physical reality of materials.
When not to use
Do not use in financial or legal contexts where 'materiality' refers to the importance or relevance of information.
Fun facts
- Architect Louis Kahn famously asked a brick what it wanted to be, illustrating the concept of respecting a material's inherent materiality: 'A brick wants to be an arch.'
Explore more words
dematerialization, corporeal, raw materials, affordance, empirical, spatial
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