Inter-facing Everydayness. From Distance to Use, Through the Cartographic Paradigm

Abstract

In this paper, after a brief historical overview, we will make a programmatic and paradigmatic comparison through analogy, between cartography and design. These two subjects both share three fundamental characteristics: a captivating appearance, usefulness, and also are ubiquitous in everyday life. This is particularly evident nowadays in mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets that are featured with a touchscreen technology. The paradigmaticity of such a comparison stands in the planning, and organizational quality, common to the two above mentioned subject areas. We will maintain that such a quality creates new aesthetics horizons, made possible as a result of great usability, functionality and interactivity. These features are achieved through the interdisciplinary cooperation between a careful design activity and a formal organization of symbols. These materialize into what we claim to be the «pass key» to this new kind of aesthetic experience rooted in the everyday and marked by immediacy: the interface.