Aesthetic
Etymology
From Greek "aisthētikos" (of sense perception), from "aisthanesthai" (to perceive, feel). The philosopher Alexander Baumgarten repurposed it around 1750 for the study of beauty and taste, shifting it from perception in general to the perception of art.
noun · /es-THET-ik/
A coherent set of principles or a distinctive look governing what is considered beautiful or fitting.
What it names
The unifying sensibility behind a body of work or a personal style — why things "go together" — now everywhere in talk of a brand's or a person's "aesthetic."
Example
Everything in the cafe — the fonts, the chipped tiles, the playlist — serves one carefully faded vintage aesthetic.
Related idea
An aesthetic is a governing sense of beauty or style; an ethos is a governing set of values or character. A design can share an aesthetic with another while expressing an entirely different ethos.