Beauty grows with mere exposure Herman Miller, Inc.’s famed Aeron chair initially received high comfort ratings but abysmal beauty ratings. To some it looked like “lawn furniture” or “a giant prehistoric insect” (Gladwell, 2005). But then, with design awards, media visibility, and imitators, the ugly duckling became the company’s best-selling chair ever and came to be seen as beautiful. With people, too, beauty lies partly in the beholder’s eye and can grow with exposure.

Herman Miller/AP Photo