The trend of designing humanity

-- Chen Hongjun

The 80s and 90s of the 20th century were a period of diversification in design. In the exploration of design style, it could be said that the “horses are playing together” was brilliant. The "humanization" of the design has become a noticeable highlight, and it has gradually become an irreversible trend. In sum, its performance is roughly as follows:

1. Pursue the fun and entertainment of the product

The designer's product design not only satisfies people's basic needs, but also satisfies the modern people's psychological needs of pursuing ease, humor, and pleasure. Of course, the economic benefits of the manufacturer are also imaginable. In 1988, Japan’s Sanyo’s “RoBo” series of tape recorders and radios were modeled on toys and matched with bright colors and large buttons to simplify this high-tech, high-fidelity product. Catering to people's "play a play" children's psychology, it shows that people can easily control the idea of ​​the machine, consumers of different ages. In 1990, the “Discoverer” helmet-type television designed by Philips Philips in the Netherlands was designed to be a “helmet” style. The outside is a hemispherical cover that can be opened to effectively prevent dust pollution and protect the TV screen. The TV screen is a slightly curved plane, the main color is elegant dark gray, dotted with a striking red block, smooth modern modeling with a few mysteries, coupled with the "discoverer" named, pole The earth caters to the children's curiosity and makes those innocent adults happy.

2. Meet the deep spiritual and cultural needs

Some designers have extended the design of tentacles into the depths of the human mind. Through the design of metaphorical colors and aesthetic sentiment, they have given more meaning to the design, allowing the user to feel more at ease. In 1987, the phone designed by the young American designer Lisakmhn called the "phone book" won the first prize of the Finnish Plastic Arts Grand Prix. The phone has abandoned the common phone without a characteristic form, but it is used in everyday life to make it more convenient and practical. It looks like an open book, metaphorizing it as a “friendly user” like a book, and its strong expression of continuity in the exchange of information in culture – from yesterday’s printing methods to today’s Electronic form. At the same time, it can be used as a book, open pages, use a variety of electronic functions, which is its unique and exquisite. With the development of science and technology, many electrical appliances have more and more subtle functions and more complex operating procedures. How to make products easier to operate and recognized by consumers is a problem faced by designers since the 1980s. Crosby's design gives an answer by creating a visual metaphor from a familiar item, designing a new complex machine as communicative as a long-lost partner, and meeting the requirements of ultra-slim design. . Crohn’s awards have benefited from her special attention to human nature and her successful use of “product semantics”.

3. Pursuit of a shape that is more suitable for body structure

Designers are also conducting research and discussion on how to make products more personalized and suitable for human body types. They hope that products will become part of our body like clothing and jewelry that are worn, and that design will be integrated with users.

The I/O personal digital assistant series designed by the American designers Mike Perry, Shaun Hanner, and Jeff Wilson in the 1990s, using electronic screen touch technology and voice communication technology, can be answered by headphones or directly attached to the face. The design of the side curve not only makes the appearance more lively but also very suitable for the curve of the person's face, so that people and products have a comfortable and harmonious coexistence. In addition, there are styles designed specifically for the blind. The colors can also be matched according to different consumer groups and telephone numbers can be recorded. Its design makes users feel warm and memorable. Another sailor telescope designed and designed by Mark Gildersleeve, Dennis Huguley, Jamey Boiter, Bob Gibson, Edgar Montague, etc. is similar to the previous example. The sailor's telescope can provide nighttime illumination, allowing sailors to look into the distance at night, charging more than 2,000 times. The best thing is that the design of the sight glass is based on the adductor curve. It fits the person's facial curve and is extremely comfortable to use. It also has the function that the general telescope does not have - night lighting, which greatly facilitates special Sailors in the environment.

4. Dedicated to the design of handicapped products

The designer's concern for humanity has expanded to the field of design for disabled people and has become the most humanitarian and humane aspect of human industrial design. Designed by the designer Vincent Harley, the “Computerized Handicapped Manipulator” is handy for handicapped disabled people. Their dexterous shapes, serene colors, and shapes suitable for mouth shape have opened up an energy for them. The way to enjoy the fruits of civilization in the new era, as well as normal people, is a tribute to the idea of ​​equality and integrity of human nature. The German reader-designed blind reading device is compact and lightweight. It can be used to scan, read, and store newspapers in hand, avoiding the psychological barriers of the disabled. The blind can read newspapers as well as normal people. They also designed wheelchairs for disabled people to use air lift. This design enables people with disabilities to raise their wheelchairs to the same height as normal people when they talk to normal people. They can also use bar tables like normal people to enjoy the same treatment and power as normal people. This design that fully considered the inferiority complex of people with disabilities was welcomed by them.

5. Humanity of designer's design thinking

Designers in the 1980s and 1990s also found a channel of communication with consumers. By listening to the opinions of consumers and feeding back consumer information to achieve the coordination of design objects and users, products designed to make consumers more satisfied were designed. . Emphasizing communication, contact, and communication between the designer and the consumer, rather than behind-the-scenes design trends, opposed the design and the consumer as opposing ends. This essentially reflects the deeper aspect of the design of human nature, and the designer's design thinking gradually turns to the level of humanity. In May 1991, the British magazine "Issue" published the article "Shock of the New Born" written by journalist Pamela Johnson. Her article focused on designers. The design will increasingly rely on feedback intelligence, relying on the satisfaction of consumer demand for humanity. At the same time, she believes that the designer's own life requirements have also become one of the contents of the feedback. The designer himself is also a consumer. Therefore, the combination of the designer himself and the consumer's needs has become the core of industrial design. Johnson's article caused the "shock" of the design community and designers. In this respect, the "Jiniu" series designed and launched by the American Ford Motor Company from the 1980s to the 1990s and its successful market efficiency have set an example for the industrial design community. In the 1980s, Ford Motor Co. had caused great difficulties for the company due to continuous investment mistakes. The company's design department made full efforts to develop new vehicles after obtaining a large amount of consumer feedback information. In 1986, it launched the medium-sized "Golden Bull" that conforms to American aesthetics and consumer psychology. Series (Ford Taurus), market sales immediately improved. In 1993, "Taurus" surpassed Japan's Honda "Accord" medium-sized car, which was ranked first in the US market. Its annual sales exceeded 300,000, making it the first vehicle sold in the United States. Ford Motor Company re-engineered the "Golden Bull" in 1995. In the same year, the US "Business Week, July 24, 1995" article "Taurus - Reshaping America's Best-selling Sedan" highly praised this new reform. type. The success of "Taurus" has aroused great concern in the theoretical community. A good design can save Ford as a huge enterprise, and the importance of design has been more widely recognized. The designers wrote in the investigation report that satisfying all the requirements put forward by the customers has often become an integral part of the designer's work. This has hinted at some of the mysteries of the success of the “Taurus” design. The mystery of this mystery lies in the fact that designers have gradually transformed their own design thinking, and consumers have become the “God” of designers. "Designing for people" is no longer just a general slogan, but is deeply rooted in the mind of the designer.