Semiotics in Product Design
1. INTRODUCTION
In the 21st century design has become an individual language, which allows to make a choice in the world of unlimited opportunities as a universal device. People are trying to learn this language for a better interaction with products because design is everywhere. Modern society is always challenged by the choice of everyday objects. People are obsessed with innovations and trends. They demand more and more from designers. Human desire wants to avoid life monotony therefore designers tend to apply the latest technology using various artistic devices and techniques. Also, they put some meaning into the produced artefacts, considering economic, cultural and historical aspects as well as ergonomics and ecological demands.
Dealing with design is reflecting the conditions under which it came out and giving the effect on the products .
2. SEMIOTICS vs. PRODUCT SEMANTICS
In order to understand how to apply all the artistic devices, designers should learn some rules, which will help them to easily see and understand the social needs. This is a special study of design from the linguistic viewpoint and it is called product semantics.
Let us say some words about semiotics. In order to understand the means of communication in design, one should examine the underlying values and concepts in design theory. When semiotics is applied on design it is essential to analyze identity, metaphors and visible comprehension of products.
Contemporary semiotics have moved away from the classification of sign systems to study how meanings are made and are not only being concerned with communication but also with the construction and maintenance of reality .
Studying semiotics can help to understand that information or meaning is not ‘contained’ in the products. And the meaning is not ‘transmitted’ to us – we create it ourselves according to different codes which we usually do not see at once. ‘Product semantics looks at form as language-like’ .
In the 21st century design has become an individual language, which allows to make a choice in the world of unlimited opportunities as a universal device. People are trying to learn this language for a better interaction with products because design is everywhere. Modern society is always challenged by the choice of everyday objects. People are obsessed with innovations and trends. They demand more and more from designers. Human desire wants to avoid life monotony therefore designers tend to apply the latest technology using various artistic devices and techniques. Also, they put some meaning into the produced artefacts, considering economic, cultural and historical aspects as well as ergonomics and ecological demands.
Dealing with design is reflecting the conditions under which it came out and giving the effect on the products .
2. SEMIOTICS vs. PRODUCT SEMANTICS
In order to understand how to apply all the artistic devices, designers should learn some rules, which will help them to easily see and understand the social needs. This is a special study of design from the linguistic viewpoint and it is called product semantics.
Let us say some words about semiotics. In order to understand the means of communication in design, one should examine the underlying values and concepts in design theory. When semiotics is applied on design it is essential to analyze identity, metaphors and visible comprehension of products.
Contemporary semiotics have moved away from the classification of sign systems to study how meanings are made and are not only being concerned with communication but also with the construction and maintenance of reality .
Studying semiotics can help to understand that information or meaning is not ‘contained’ in the products. And the meaning is not ‘transmitted’ to us – we create it ourselves according to different codes which we usually do not see at once. ‘Product semantics looks at form as language-like’ .
References: Bernhard E.Burdek, Design History. Theory and Practice of Product Design, Publishers for Architecture, 2005. Donald A.Norman, The Design of Everyday Things, New York, Basic Books, second edition, 2002. Paul S. Adler, Terry A. Winograd, Usability. Turning Technologies into tools, New York, 1992 Ronald Barthes, Routledge Critical Thinkers, Taylor and Frencis Group, 2003. Daniel Chandler, Semiotics – the basics, Routledge, 2001. Umberto Eco, A theory of semiotics. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1976. Hendrik N.J., Paul Hekkert, Product Experience, Elsevier, 2008 William S.Green, Patrick W.Jordan, Human Factors in Product Design Andy Ruddock, Understanding Audiences. Theory and Method, SAGE Publications Ltd, 2001. Kaja Silverman, The subject of Semiotics, New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.