On Product Communication

A product design activity can be called complete only after it undergoes the process of being designed, manufactured and sent to the consumers through the market. In this process, the designers first take into consideration the consumers' demands on the function, cognition and aesthetic beauty of the products, then convey all the information into the product, and finally transmit the information to the consumers and the society through the products. Here, the information is spread from man to product and from product to man and society again, and the transmission mode is just like the information spread in communication; thus, product design can be regarded as a communication activity. This thesis attempts to apply the theory and research approach of communication to product design study so as to view the product design in the field of industrial design from a new scope and explore a new way for product design study.This author begins with a cross study between industrial design and communication; by adopting the transplanted approach, the theory and approach of communication are transplanted into the field of industrial design within a certain degree. With the application of communication theory to product design study, the basic elements and model of product communication are advanced and a detailed analysis on each individual element is also made.This thesis adopts a whole-part-whole approach. First, it puts forward the research ideas from the intersection of communication and industrial design, and starts with the basic concepts and communication models of communication. By analyzing the application of information and symbols in both communication and product design, the author gradually brings forward the idea that product design is a process of communication and makes clear the communication elements and model in product communication. Second, this thesis studies and analyzes each individual element in product communication at length, discusses the effects of product communication in terms of communication effect theory, and explains the factors that may influence the effectiveness of product communication. Further, the author makes a tentative study on taking product communication effect as the standard of product design. In conclusion, a summary of product communication study is given and a prospective research on this particular study is briefed.Based on the foregoing study, the author summarizes the following innovative points of this thesis:1. It locates the intersection between communication and industrial design from a disciplinary point of view, and takes the process of product design as acommunication process, which provides new inspirations and approaches to product design study.2. Through transplanted approach, the research method in communication is transplanted to product design study. The analysis and study of the communication elements and models in communication helps to propose the concepts of product communication elements and models creatively. After some detailed inspections on each individual element, the paper reflects on the problems that might appear in the process of product design and further discusses the proper ways to tackle the problems.3. By employing the typical communication effect theory, the thesis puts forward the existing form and factors that may influence the effects of product communication. With the combination of design evaluative theory, the author claims that product design effect is in fact a standard of design evaluation. In the end, some effective ways are suggested to improve the product communication effect so as to better and perfect product design.The study on product communication is not only an exploration of applying communication theory to product design, but also an attempt to pursue creative and innovative study in product design. In the whole thesis, the author is trying to look for some new modes of thinking, and hopes to contribute some new thinking to forward the development of industrial design.