While some studies have shown that people prefer typical product designs, others have shown that people also like product designs that are new. To reconcile these contradictory findings, the design principle, ‘Most Advanced, Yet Acceptable’ proposes that people prefer a balance of both typicality and novelty in product designs. As an explanation, we propose that typicality and novelty fulfil basic evolutionary needs for safety and exploration that still drive behaviour today, and that products are most preferred when they satisfy both of these needs simultaneously. We further propose that conditions of safety and risk will drive product preferences towards novelty and typicality, respectively. Overall, this research will provide insights into when and why aesthetic preferences for typicality or novelty occur.