A Study on the Application of Cultural Elements in Product Design

Abstract

AbstractIn recent years, there has been a trend of using Chinese/ Taiwanese cultural elements in consumer electronics (CE) products. This innovative design method has resulted in many works that won significant awards in Taiwan and international design competitions. The award-winning works included mass-produced products and conceptual design works, and the great appraisals have proven that this kind of design method could create added-value for a product. Therefore, “how to use design elements with cultural meanings” has become an important issue. This research has studied cases that used Chinese/Taiwanese cultural elements in product design, including five cases in Taiwan’s electronics industry and 15 award-winning works in international design competitions. The purpose was to compare how the design methods used in mass-produced products are different from the ones used in conceptual design works. The results revealed that: 1) The mass-produced products utilized Chinese calligraphy and paintings as the main cultural elements, while the conceptual design works used Chinese calligraphy and paintings in not only artifacts and daily-use items, but also in the expression of custom and behavior, aesthetics, religion rituals, or even Chinese philosophy. 2) The mass-produced products made direct use of Chinese/Taiwanese cultural elements. Namely, some Chinese calligraphy and painting totems were copied on the products, thus presenting Chinese-style appearances. On the contrary, the award-winning works selected and translated the cultural elements more skillfully. The application of cultural elements was used in product appearances and functions. The designers were expressing their interpretation and deeper meanings of Chinese culture by their unique renovation. If the industrial designers could learn from these award-winning works and use the same kind of design method in CE products, new industrial opportunities could be created.KeywordsDesign competitioncultural elementsconsumer electronics industry