In the case of this design principle the period is of no relevance. The essence is in this paragraph:

"“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Aesthetics are in all our senses, not just the sight. Aesthetic design is a 4D experience".

The specific sentence you are addressing in your response is about the industrial period. No matter the period aesthetic design is important in same cases it needs to be a priority in other cases functionality should be. The end of the article talks about that. :)

Thanks for taking the time to read the article and express your thoughts, Bona! :)