روح مصنوع : شخصيت سازي و جان بخشي در طراحي محصول

The Sprite of Artifact: Characterization & Anthropomorphism in Product Design

Due to the increasing attention paid to emotional design and the significance of emotional aspects- even their prioritization over practical aspects-, it seems that enlivening and animating the man-made stuff have been warmly welcomed by researchers and designers. Enlivening and animating the man-made stuff is practical in various fields related to product design, architecture, painting, sculpture, web design and graphic design. The aims and goals pursued by enlivening and animating the man-made stuff in design are totally different with what the bio-design offers. In bio-design and organic design, the designer believes in the excellence of natural forms. Faced with problems in designing, he/she seeks to find solutions in nature and even imitating nature. But the aim of enlivening and animating in design is ʹspiritualizingʹ the product and not the vice versa. Functional issues might be not that important in this case. This article explores the backgrounds, reasons, functions and results of enlivening the man-made stuff from a designing viewpoint. The humanizing aspects and the relevant theories are also taken in to account. The comprehensive self-knowledge of the viewers as human beings and their interactive and receptive mode towards the products are the real attractive points for them. The sheer notion that a product -like a chair or a reamer or a building- might seem alive is very interesting and innovative. But apart from this primary attraction, one can imagine other functions for enlivening the man-made stuff. These functions originate from four major human characteristics: personality, mode, interaction and identity. Absorbing the emotional attraction of the user in a momentary or permanent way, acknowledging the situation, reflecting the product characteristics, and displaying human values are the main functions of enlivening the product: When the state of the product is changeable, different human moods (for example anger, sadness, gladness and...) could be used to show these states. Ideal qualities could be shown _ or pretended _ by human characteristics (e.g. powerfulness, seriousness, elegance, jocundity and...). Designers can issue their ideal social values by social identities (such as race, nation and ethnicity). Using interactivity _ imitating "human relationshipʹʹs _ designers can send emotional signals to the users and create an artistic / sensational experience. Even two or more of these functions may be considered in a single product. These practical goals are achieved in different ways. They can be achieved via the productʹs appearance, the association of form and human body organs like the eyes, ears, hands or feet, the productʹs function, and its association with human behaviors. The physical enlivening might be supplementary and rough, or subtle and inseparable from the design. Anthropomorphic labeling and advertising can also personalize and enliven the products. Enlivening the man-made stuff might be imposed and aimed merely at attracting the customers at first look. At the same time, one can put definite aims to use it as an effective tool in solving design problems and work all during the usage process. The Alessi company, Frank O. Gehry and Santiago Calatrava are the famous names in anthropomorphic design.