Design For The Real World - Reading Industrial Design Classics

DesignForTheRealWorld

[US] Victor Papanek (Victorpapanek) written by Zhou Bo Translation

This book was written from 1963 to 1970. It was originally published in Sweden and in the United States in 1971.

-Design is a conscious and intuitive effort to achieve meaningful order.

Being conscious means reasoning, thinking, research and analysis.

We like some things in nature because they contain organisms with simplicity, elegance, health and other factors. These patterns are rich, orderly, graceful and elegant, but they are intraspecific selection (for example, the beauty of the peacock's tail is to attract females; the spiral growth of sunflowers, pineapples, and pine cones is to promote photosynthesis; the streamlined body of salmon is to It swims swiftly; the red and orange colors of maple leaves are the withering process). If there is no order, it is difficult to see what the intention is.

The "correctness" of any design solution depends on the meaning generated by our arrangements.

The way a design performs its purpose is its function.

“Form follows function” was first proposed by American sculptor Horatio Greenough in 1739. It became the battle cry of architect Louis Sullivan 100 years later and was later reformulated by Frank Lloyd Wright. “Form meets function.” Both statements point to a superficial separation between “useful” and “good-looking.” "Form follows function" implies that as long as the functional requirements are met, the form will obey it and will look pleasing to the eye. Some people put the cart before the horse and mistakenly interpret this statement to mean that the "ideal" form always functions well.

From what Henry Dreyfuss said in "Designing for the Public":

Industrial designers started by eliminating transitional decoration. When they were obsessed with product research, , observing its operation and thinking of ways to make it work better and be more beautiful, the real work of designers begins. They never forget that beauty is only superficial. For many years we have had a credo in the office that the work we do will be thrown around, talked about, considered, persuaded, inspired, operationalized or used in some way by individuals or the public. If the point of contact between product and people becomes a point of friction, then the industrial designer has failed. In turn, if people become safer, more comfortable, more eager to buy things, more productive—or even just a little happier—the designers have succeeded. He brings a unique, analytical perspective to the work. He frequently consults with manufacturers, their engineers, workers, and salespeople to get a good idea of ??the problems that may arise in the company's commercial or industrial fields. He would compromise to a certain extent, but he refused to change the design principles he adhered to. He may occasionally lose a client, but he rarely loses their respect.

In 1849, the first industrial design organization was established in Sweden, followed by similar groups in Austria, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Norway and Finland. Designers at that time focused on the giving of form, and they strangely sought "appropriate beauty" in mechanical tools and mechanical products. Designers at this time either adhered to the gorgeous and luxurious Victorian Baroque style, or they became members of an impractical coterie panicked by mechanical technology.

In 1919, Walter Gropius established the German Bauhaus design school, and art and machines were finally grafted together

The way of thinking is divided into analytical thinking, judgment Sexual thinking, conventional thinking, creative thinking.

Creative thinking seems to appear in three ways. The first is sudden, momentary inspiration. The second is to discover the solution to the problem while dreaming (the signals of a series of facts are organized and analyzed, waiting for comprehensive reasoning at the subconscious or preconscious level).

The third involves conducting systematic, problem-solving oriented research in order to generate a new working method.

Resistance factors that prevent us from solving work problems in new and innovative ways:

1. Perceptual barriers 2. Emotional barriers 3. Associative barriers 4. Cultural barriers 5. Professional barriers 6. Intellectual Disabilities 7. Environmental Barriers

1. Perceptual Impairments: As the name suggests, these limitations exist in the perceptual realm.

When a person who cannot distinguish between high and low wants to listen to music, he will encounter perceptual obstacles. Such physiological disorders range from color blindness, astigmatism, strabismus, blindness, to hysterical aphasia.

2. Emotional disorders: In a society that follows the crowd and values ??consistency more, it is easy for people to remember words like "Don't stick your neck out." There is a simple experiment. In a group environment, the emotional pressure is very high. You could ask a group of people between the ages of 25 and 30 if they enjoy bird watching in their spare time. Eliminate those who are interested in bird watching and ask the remaining people: "How many of you can identify 30 species of birds?". There may not be many people raising their hands. But in fact, at least about 60 species can be listed. They were afraid to stick their necks out for fear they might be asked about some unusual bird and not be able to answer.

3. Associative barriers

4. Cultural barriers

5. Occupational barriers

6. Intellectual barriers

7. Environmental obstacles

Eliminate these obstacles through the following methods:

1. Brainstorming 2. *** Discussion 3. Morphological analysis 4. Sliding comparison 5. Pun Association 6. Three associations 7. Biomimicry and biomechanics 8. Force new thinking patterns.

1. Brainstorming,

was invented by Alexander Osborne. A casual mix of 6-8 people suspends judgment and values ??quantity.

2. *** Developed by William J.J. Gordon after the same discussion.

Very effective in solving technical and scientific problems. A strong team leader is needed, team members are permanent, carefully selected, and each person represents at least two different areas.

3. Morphological analysis model,

Personal systematic approach to problem solving

When useful machinery (tools, hardware solutions, PCB and manufacturing costs are determined) ) and more transient detachment of the epidermis, resulting in further specialization and an aesthetic based solely on appearance. The “skin” designers disdainfully alienate the “gut” designers (engineering and R&D), and form and function are artificially split. However, when the skin and internal organs are separated, no living thing or product can survive for long.

There is a more enduring legacy of design thinking, which sees products as meaningful links between people and their environment. We must view people, his tools, environment and way of thinking, and planning as a nonlinear, synchronous, integrated, and comprehensive whole.

This method is integrated design (IntegratedDesign). It deals with the extension of a professionalized person

. All human functions - breathing, balancing, walking, perceiving, consuming, making symbols, producing society are interconnected and interdependent. If we want to connect the human environment with human psychology and physiology as a whole, then our goal will be to reprogram and redesign the functions and structures of all human tools, products, shelters, and tribes to integrate In a complete living environment, this environment can grow, change, mutate, adapt, and reproduce according to human needs.

To express a complete design, express the design as a whole, and express unity, we need designers to be able to handle the design process comprehensively.

This will require designers to be generalists, but school education and people’s own limited energy will only allow us to focus on one area. But designers need to cover a wide range of topics.

So a complete design team may also require experts. Such a typical team may be composed of a designer, an anthropologist, a sociologist and someone engaged in a specialized engineering field. composed of people. A biologist (or someone versed in bionics and biomechanics) and several doctors and psychologists might round out the team. Most importantly, the clients for whom the design team is working must have representation on the team.

Such a team that focuses on design and planning may not only solve problems, but also find, isolate and identify those problems that need to be solved.

Schematic diagram of interdisciplinary team activities

Work flow:

1. Gather a design team

2. Establish a preliminary process Diagram (only part of the triangle)

3. Research and discover the truth stage

4. Complete the first half of the flow chart

5. Establish the second half of the flow chart Half part: What to do

6. Individual action, partner team, or team design, develop ideas.

7. Check these designs according to the goals established on the flow chart, and correct these designs and flow charts based on these experiences

8. Establish models, prototypes, test models and working models

9. Inspect through relevant user groups

10. Feedback the inspection results to the flow chart

11. Re-design, re-inspect, and complete the design work, At the same time, write reports, graphic communications, statistical supporting data or draw design drawings

12. Summary and filing.

The essence of industrial design is:

Reorganize the knowledge structure and industrial chain to integrate resources, innovate industrial mechanisms, and guide the needs of human society for healthy, reasonable, sustainable survival and development.

Science - discovering and explaining truth;

Engineering - techniques of deconstruction and construction;

Liberal arts - judgment of right and wrong and morality;

Art - a way to appreciate nature, life and society.

The purpose of design is to build a real Garden of Eden for mankind on the four pillars of human ideals, morality, emotions and tools; it is to integrate all the above factors realistically to create a more real, healthier and more realistic future for mankind. A more reasonable way to survive.

When we say this is a design, it means that we have used some intelligence to organize something and conceptually give it an internal pattern.

The opposite of design is chaos

Gresham's Law:

"Designing for the People"

"Insight and Foresight" Arthur ·Kestler

"Creative Behavior"

"Guide to Creative Behavior"

"Collaborative Discussion Method" Bill Gordon

"Innovative Practice" George Prince sculpted some abstract industrial symbols, what positive meanings do they symbolize

Abstract: As a new methodology, semiotics is gradually entering other disciplines. At the same time, valuable semiotic discussions are no longer limited to the initially established field of semiotics. For the subject of visual communication, it is a very meaningful topic to study the relationship between symbols and their referents, as well as the impact of the degree of abstraction of visual symbols themselves on information transmission and meaning expression.

This can not only improve the efficiency and accuracy of information transmission, but also enrich the language of visual communication design and help meet the aesthetic requirements of modern people]

Keywords: visual symbols; degree of abstraction; meaning Expression

CLC classification number: 6206 Document identification code: A Article number: 1009-337012003105-0021-03

Semiotics originated from linguistics, but now it has penetrated into philosophy, Today's semiotics in many disciplines such as literature, natural sciences, and art has become "the study of marks, or the process of marking, or the function of marks." Valuable semiotic discussions are no longer limited to the initially recognized field of semiotics. It has a methodological significance. The research method of semiotics can also be applied to modern design. Visual communication design itself is a symbolic expression, and designers use it to convey their own thinking processes and conclusions to the audience. It can achieve the purpose of guidance or persuasion. It shines in modern design. The history of semiotics as a research methodology is not long, and it has not formed a system. Due to space limitations, this article cannot fully discuss the application system of semiotics in visual communication design. It only focuses on the relationship between visual symbols and their referential content. relationship between.

1. Symbols and their functions

The British writer Swift told such a fictional story in "Gulliver's Travels": Several professors in a country were motivated by Concerns for human health led to a plan to abolish the vocabulary. They believe that speaking an insulting word will cause more or less damage to the lungs. Therefore, to make up for it, when people talk about specific things, they bring physical objects with them so that they can express themselves with objects. The consequences of this plan can be imagined. When the two academics met on the street, they first took off the heavy backpacks from their nearly broken backs, took out the items in the bags and talked for more than an hour before putting away their respective parties. Tools, helping each other put the load back on their backs and then parting ways. The story may sound absurd, but it cleverly and profoundly hints at the nature of language symbols.

Simply using something for something cannot be called a symbol. Only when something "represents" other things does it become a "symbol". According to the theory of semiotician Roland Barthes, a sign is composed of two parts: "signifier" and "signified". The signifier is a material intermediary, the signified is its psychological representation, and the signifier and the signified are combined. The process of integration is called signification, and its product is the sign. In fact, all human thinking activities and information exchanges depend on the existence of symbols. The human consciousness process is essentially a symbolization process, and thinking is nothing more than an operation of combination, transformation and regeneration of symbols. Symbols are a medium for human beings to understand things. As an information carrier, they are a tool for storing and transmitting information. They are also a material means for expressing thoughts and emotions.

In view of the special significance of symbols, the philosopher Popper once proposed the theory of "three worlds", believing that the "symbolic world" is the "third world" that is different from the "natural" physical objective world and the human spiritual world. "Three Worlds" refers specifically to "the world of the objective content of thought, especially the world of scientific thought, poetic thought, and artistic works." 21 Using Popper's theory, we can infer two relationships between a symbol and the thing it refers to: first, the symbol transcends the realm of "factual things", and what it replaces is the objective physical world ( That is, things that exist in the first world), the symbolic meaning at this time is more abstract than the thing it replaces. Even for a realistic painting, the author has gone through certain selection and organization to embody the essence of the scene being reproduced, so the degree of abstraction of the painting is still higher than the scene itself. Second, symbols are specialized in reproducing the "vital abstract force pattern" of things,131 that is, they replace things such as human thinking and concepts from the second world. At this time, its degree of abstraction is lower than what it replaces. The symbol at this time should be able to give a specific shape to a certain type of thing or a certain type of "mode of force action", such as using a specific person to represent the entire concept of "humanity", or a piece of music recorded with staffs and notes. melody.

2. The abstract nature of visual symbols

Language symbols are only a part of the entire symbolic world. Another important part is visual symbols, that is, those that are perceived through human vision. symbol. Visual symbols have many special advantages in transmitting information. It relies on graphics to express intuitively, and its symbolic nature is unmatched by other types of symbols in terms of expression of human spirit and emotions. Compared with language symbols, visual symbols convey information more quickly and have broader connotations. Visual symbols also play a huge role in the process of human understanding of the world. Human beings' cognition of a thing is essentially his cognition of some of the most basic and prominent structural features of the thing. "Showing things by things" is not the most ideal and scientific way of conveying information. Therefore, human beings have been constantly establishing various visual symbols to help themselves in their cognitive activities about the world. These symbols are not mechanical copies of the original objects, but substitutes formed after active organization or construction and reorganization of thinking. They are the most direct expression of the essential characteristics and structure of things. They are one of the experiences of human beings in long-term cognitive activities. L, and generated under rich associations.

The content that a symbol refers to can be either more or less abstract than itself, depending on the nature of the content it refers to. The same is true for visual symbols. From another perspective, as a visual symbol, the degree of abstraction of graphics itself will also affect the transmission of information. If this symbol is quite realistic, on the one hand it gives flesh and blood to the structural skeleton of a certain concept and conveys the meaning in a realistic image, on the other hand it may also result in the opposite situation. For a painter or sculptor's work, the more closely it resembles the real thing, the more difficult it is for the author to use it to express a certain idea of ??his own. This is because the more specific the image of a graphic is, the more features it displays, and the harder it is for people to determine which feature is the most important. At this time, the essence of the symbol or the symbolic meaning it contains may be ignored by the viewer. Old-fashioned traffic signals in some Western countries use a realistic snake image to remind drivers to slow down. This method indeed attracts the driver's attention more than the four words "slow down". However, the image of the snake itself is not a "full-time" visual symbol used for traffic signals. People can see other characteristics from it (such as being slender and curved and causing fear, etc.), or people may think that it is a reminder to protect wildlife. Animal signs.

It can be seen from this that concrete visual symbols can allow viewers to quickly identify what a poster or a signboard displays, but it is not easy to see a deeper level of abstraction. significance. In this case, it is quite necessary to abstract the image of visual symbols. It can help us accurately extract certain special properties. But it is not that the more abstract the image of visual symbols, the more abstract the image of visual symbols, the more important it is for the expression of meaning and the transmission of information. The more beneficial it is. If a visual symbol with a highly abstract appearance has little or no similarity between its image and the thing it marks, its symbolic effect will be quite limited, and it may even sometimes hinder the transmission of information. The most obvious example is the character "Broken", which means "a gathering of good fortune" in Sanskrit. After Hitler used the reversed "Broken" as the Nazi emblem, the two were different due to their high visual similarity. The symbols are often confused.

When such a highly abstract symbol is used, since the symbol itself does not directly reflect the typical visual characteristics of the content expressed, the referential relationship between the signifier and the signified is often artificially prescribed. . In this case, the environmental background in which it is located plays a very important role in conveying information. The designer must add some explanatory connections or background information to make the viewer understand, otherwise it will cause serious consequences. Ambiguity. The author's intention is a question worthy of in-depth discussion. The following will take logo design as an example to discuss this issue.

Trademark or logo design in modern visual communication design often uses a highly condensed graphic as a visual symbol, allowing viewers to identify a certain company, a certain brand, a certain organization or a certain company. a concept.

As a symbol, trademarks and logos should solidify and express abstract concepts such as the company's business philosophy, product quality, and organizational structure.

3. Expression of the meaning of visual symbols

With the advent of the information age, human beings have gradually entered a high-speed, almost disorderly life state. Human beings urgently require that information can be transmitted in the simplest, fastest and most efficient way. In the field of visual communication design, visual symbols as information carriers are required to be able to convey the meaning they represent to the audience in an instant. As mentioned above, if a graphic as a visual symbol is too abstract or too specific, it will directly affect the efficiency of information transmission. Therefore, as a designer, how to grasp this "degree" and how to explore the greatest potential of visual symbols so that they can convey the design in the most intuitive, accurate and rapid way

Figure 1 is the trademark of a dairy company , taking the nature of its product - milk droplets as the basic element, the graphic is abstracted and becomes a visual symbol that replaces the actual product. The author reduces the object he wants to describe into a very simple and clear pattern. This direct way makes it easy for us to understand what the company's products are. But since it is just an abstract pattern of a droplet, we cannot learn more about the company through this symbol, such as product features, business philosophy, etc. If a visual symbol as a trademark or logo is only abstracted from an objective reality (product), it can only become a substitute for the real thing at best, and is not helpful for people to understand the content in the spiritual realm. Zhou Yiding is a symbol of unloving 2000 Wansai is a public welfare activity that helps people with disabilities. The author's task is to solidify the abstract concept of "love" and express it in the form of visual symbols, so that when the audience sees this logo, they will naturally think of " The author chose some graphics and concepts that we are already familiar with as a medium to express the concept of "love". The audience can easily see the abstract shape of a hand from the overall pattern. People familiar with sign language will quickly see that this gesture represents the word "love". As a symbol, it first conveys the metaphor of "care". Give it to me.

At the same time, after abstraction, what interests the viewer is not the hand itself, but the content of the gesture. The audience can also recognize the shape of the Chinese character for "heart" and see the image of a dove, thus recalling the already familiar meaning (. Finally, the strong and erect three fingers make us seem to see the perseverance and perseverance of the disabled The precious spirit of fighting against fate. What the author Bu wants to express are quite abstract concepts, but these concepts are conveyed to us through graphics. These graphics themselves are visual symbols, and they are combined to form a new vision. The symbol, that is, the logo itself, fully expresses the main spirit of this public welfare activity - care and self-improvement.

It can be seen that the content of visual symbols with profound metaphors often comes from. In the human spiritual world (Popper's so-called "second world"), and its image comes from the objective material world ("first world"), the purpose of visual symbols is to transform the abstract concepts generated from the designer's thinking activities , solidified through specific graphics, and then transmitted to the audience through visual language. In order to make this spiritual communication and information transmission faster and more effective, the choice of visual symbols and graphics must be based on the recognition of both the designer and the audience. Therefore, designers must select things that people are familiar with as the source of visual symbols, and simplify the abstraction and meaning expression of visual symbols into graphics with an appropriate abstraction level, which can serve as a carrier of concepts and build a bridge in people's spiritual communication. It embodies both the "formal complexity" required to express abstract concepts and the visual perception theory that realistic images move closer to "pure form" as described by Rudolf Arnheim.

Visual communication design is. The use of visual language to convey information and communicate the spiritual world between people in a material way. With the advancement of science and technology, the development of the times, and the continuous improvement of living standards, people's aesthetic concepts are also changing accordingly, so it is left to designers. The task is becoming more and more difficult.

The enrichment of visual language depends on the discovery of more visual symbols, and all kinds of visual symbols are hidden in the vast natural world and the human spiritual world, waiting for us to explore. Although this kind of searching is a long and endless process, it is a powerful driving force for the continuous development and progress of design.

References:

[1] Introduction to Li Youzheng’s Theoretical Semiotics [M]. Beijing: Social Sciences Literature Press, 1999, page 2.

[2]Li Bocong. The symbolic world in the high-tech era [[M"Tianjin: Tianjin Science and Technology Press, 2001, page 6.

[3]"American] Rudolf Arnhai M. Translated by Teng Shouyao, Visual Thinking - Psychology of Aesthetic Intuition [[M]. Chongqing: Sichuan People's Publishing House, 1998, page 178

[4] Yin Dingbang. Graphics and Meaning! M]. Changsha: Hunan Science and Technology Press, 2001.

[s] Wang Shouzhi's History of World Graphic Design {M]. Beijing: China Youth Publishing House, 1 Do you know which color is suitable for industrial style walls?

Among the many elements involved in interior design, the paint color used in the space will affect many elements in the design and can also reflect the overall home style and atmosphere. If you want to build an industrial-style home. , what color should be chosen for the wall?

1. A large area of ??white wall creates a bright and fresh industrial style

Is it suitable for an industrial style to just paint the wall white? For those who want to create a bright and spacious space, white will be an ideal choice! If you don’t like pure white walls, cream or beige are also suitable; if you feel that clean and tidy white walls are too boring, or you want to bring Add a retro texture and expose the underlying brick wall in the space. Use white paint to create a mottled and rough surface to show a good visual effect.

Grayscale

Paint interprets unmodified style

Cementitious materials and exposed matt gray pipes are often indispensable elements in industrial style, so the walls are matched with paint in gray tones, which echoes this. Among them, it is best to choose hand-painted special paint and paint that imitates the texture of fair-faced concrete

3. Or dark walls in blue create a cool feel to the space

Black is also one of the most common colors in modern industrial style, and it's perfect for presenting an industrial tone that's a bit cool or mysterious. , there is no need to paint every wall black to prevent the space from appearing too dark. If you feel that black is too heavy, you can also change it to navy blue. , dark blue, dark blue, which can create a quiet and delicate atmosphere, and can also be easily matched with industrial-style furniture and decorations.

4. Warm colors balance space and cold colors, and color jumps create visual focus

Using warm neutral paint colors, or going bold with bright and bright paint, are also popular choices for industrial style colors, such as brown,

khaki

, and camel. Earth tones can make your industrial-style home look warmer; if you want to create a bright focus within a low-key, restrained tone, you can use vibrant colors like goose yellow, bright orange, or

Bright blue

, let the color jump!