Shape Language Describes More Than the Body
Year: 2011
Editor: Chakrabarti, A.
Author: Langeveld,Lau; Wiegers,Tjamme
Section: Design Collaboration and Communication
Page(s): 703-710
Abstract
The design of products involves the whole design process from Design Research to a product. The uncertainty becomes certainty during the design process. Product models have functional relations between all the product levels. In this paper, we investigate the lack of knowledge about shape expression by analyzing seven consumer products.We develop the knowledge of shape language from the viewpoint of design andmaking. The cultural influences of shape language may be an advantage for upcoming countries as India, China, Brazil, etc. Parts and products imply shape knowledge which should be analyzed on physical aspects and relations of parts.Many design decisions are made during the whole process and the knowledge content of parts grows with every decision. The quality of parts contributes to the performance of the product. We draw the conclusion that ’shape language is more than the body’ because the relations in the parts are of great importance, also for the whole product
Keywords: Shape language, design process, product, parts.