Design in the hottest information age 1

Design in the information age

the information society characterized by computers and networks has changed our way of life and the way designers work. The form and connotation of design are changing. The use of computer microprocessors has liberated the shackles of product forms in the era of mechanization. Designers can give more play to their creativity and imagination in form. The requirements of consumers for diversified products have encouraged the change of design forms. Different designs have become the strategy of businesses to occupy the market or the embodiment of innovative ideas of young designers. The internal changes in the design are people's serious reflection and serious understanding of some problems in the process of industrialization. The environmental pollution caused by industrialization makes designers realize the importance of protecting nature, and the care for people themselves makes the design more humanized. Today, when diversity is advocated, design not only embodies high-tech and provides good functions, but also plays multiple roles in expressing national traditions, humanistic characteristics and personality characteristics

ecological protection and green design

green design is based on people's understanding of energy waste, environmental pollution and ecological damage in the development of industrialization. Industrialization makes the water that human beings depend on no longer clean, the air no longer fresh, and the sky no longer blue, which is closely related to the raw materials, energy and waste after the consumption of products. Industrial production with the goal of protecting the environment is called industrial green action. It has been implemented in developed countries such as Europe, America and Japan for many years, and has become an important standard for good design in the information age. The annual excellent product design award of the American Association of industrial designers takes environmental protection as an important factor in winning the award, while Germany takes ecological protection as the best virtue of product design, raising it to the height of product aesthetics. To this end, Germany advocates extending the service life of products as much as possible, eliminating disposable products, and advocating the reuse of products. Designers must consider the use of raw materials and energy, the treatment of waste and waste gas, and the recycling of materials in the design process

green design not only conforms to the trend of the times, but also brings profits to businesses. Anderson, the president of interface, the world's largest commercial carpet manufacturing company, put forward the environmental protection goal in 1994: zero waste and zero oil consumption. His "zero action" plan led to a new carpet manufacturing method, which reduced the main structural feature of the machine: Dragon content. Their awareness of environmental protection has also attracted more customers, making the company's revenue set a new record. Later, Anderson sold carpets for rent, replacing and recycling the old carpets. Since 1990, the president of Sonoco, one of the world's largest packaging companies, has made the promise of "we will recycle it as soon as we manufacture it", and began to recycle the used products from users. This policy has been warmly welcomed by customers. Now two thirds of the company's raw materials come from recycled materials, and has created a new record of revenue and sales. Compaq computer's efforts in environmental protection have paid off. As early as six years ago, the president of Compaq, Eckhard fayfer, ordered the redesign of the company's personal computer to save materials and energy required for manufacturing. As a result, Compaq won a large number of orders in Europe and Australia, one of the reasons is that the products meet the strict environmental standards of the country in which they are located

the awareness of environmental protection also makes oil companies devote themselves to exploring new energy sources. BP, the third largest oil company in the world, has invested 160million US dollars in the development of solar energy. They built an Olympic village that uses all solar energy for the 1998 Summer Olympic Games in Australia. This year's Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, launched the slogan of "Green Olympics". Greenpeace participated in the design and construction of the Olympic Park located in hombush Bay. Recyclable materials were widely used in the construction of venues, and water conservation and energy conservation were fully considered. Automobile companies are also vigorously developing new energy vehicles to reduce the environmental pollution caused by vehicles. Toyota Motor Company of Japan has launched a hybrid car powered by gasoline and electric energy. This car can use gasoline and electric energy interactively, and the speed can reach 66 miles per hour, reducing the pollution of vehicle exhaust to the city. The World Expo held in Hannover, Germany in 2000, with the theme of "man, nature and technology -- a new world is emerging", shows how human beings will live in harmony with nature with the help of the power of technology that enhances the development of experimental machines and fixtures. In the situation of increasingly poor earth resources and deteriorating environment, green design will become a problem that designers must consider in the future

people oriented and humanized design

if the green design related to environmental protection is human attention to the nature in which we live, then the humanized design is about human itself. The design concept of "people-oriented" makes designers begin to shift more attention from products to users of products - people. Designing more humanized products is another goal of designers in the future. The digital age has enhanced the material and technological characteristics of society. In the information society, networks and virtual communities do not make the relationship between people closer, but strengthen the lonely and private way of life of individuals. In a highly competitive society, people need a comfortable, convenient and fully functional office space. After busy work, they hope to have a home that is intimate and warm everywhere and can recover their tired body and mind. Therefore, the design bears the heavy responsibility of comforting the human spirit and soul. In response to Louis Sullivan's modernist design slogan "form follows function", the famous "frog design" proposed the design concept of "form follows emotion". They believe that consumers not only buy products, but also buy the value, experience and self-awareness contained in them in a pleasing form. GK design company in Japan takes the expression of "truth, goodness and beauty" as the goal of design, and believes that design is a work that endows people's thoughts with forms. Design is to endow all human creations with beautiful purposes and realize them. Excellent design is the embodiment of truth, goodness and beauty. Susan yelavich, assistant curator of Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City, also believes that "function now includes psychology and emotion". The attention to users makes the design further rise from the satisfaction of functions in the past to the spiritual care for people, especially for special people, such as the elderly and the disabled

Johnson & Johnson's "independent 3000" wheelchair concept design won the gold medal of the industrial design excellence award of the American Industrial Design Association in 2000. This four-wheel tool adopts an advanced gyroscope balance system, which can make users move up and down very conveniently. The raised height is the same as the sight height of a standing adult. It can not only reach the upper shelves and books on the bookshelves in the store, but also climb the sidewalks. Not only that, this wheelchair also blurs the identity of the user, because healthy people can also use it to take things from high places very conveniently

the "leap" chair jointly launched by Steelcase and IDEO company can adjust the backrest according to the shape of everyone's spine, and the upper and lower parts of the backrest can also be adjusted separately according to the needs of users. Everyone will feel that this chair is customized for themselves. Herman Miller's newly launched "benefit tower" adjustable table can help you eliminate back fatigue caused by dealing with official business in front of the desk for a long time. As long as your fingertips touch the desk, you can rise and fall at will. When you raise it, you can stand and work. When you lower it, you can sit and work, creating a new way of flexible office. The soft curved plastic strap of the "triax" watch launched by Nike has a shape consistent with the structure of the human body. Its alarm clock function can be completed by touch. The curved crystal surface can make the already large numbers bigger. The enlarged numbers and easy-to-use buttons make this watch the best choice for athletes and those who wear reading glasses. The ultrasonic high-frequency hearing aid device recently launched by designology and healing innovations has changed the cold form of medical devices. It is an adjustable instrument worn on the head, which is similar to earmuffs in shape, very comfortable, bright in color, and cool in shape.

Fashion creation and personalized design

in the information age of economic prosperity, people are eager to decorate their rooms with items that represent their taste, Expressing their personality with characteristic products and purchasing household products are bound to expand the process of foam granulator into a continuous process of clarifying personal style. People began to emphasize the personalization and personal style of products and put forward the slogan of "personalization of living environment". Consumers showed strong interest in products with innovative design ideas and related to their ideas. The process of design is not only the process of designers using technology and imagination, but also the process of designers constantly talking with users to express users' wishes. More and more young people want designers to design personalized products that guide fashion for them? quot; Manufacturers realize that consumers want to find more things, It's not just functions, "said Barry Shepard, who once conceived the beetle for Volkswagen." a product should express something about the owner ". people began to think that buying a cool toothbrush was the fastest way to express their personality without having to spend more effort. Many manufacturers are happy to produce daily necessities that express fashion, such as ivory brushes, Juicers and bottle openers. IDEO believes that just as people can now change the protective patterns of computer screens at will, people also hope to customize products according to their own ways in the future, and designers will be in charge of the appearance and There is room for consumers' taste in texture. Just like Motorola's V series, they are fashionable in appearance, with rubber jackets of different colors and metal shells of different colors, which are completely based on personal preferences

when the price, quality and function of products are similar, design has become the only factor that affects consumers' choice, and personalized design is becoming more and more popular with consumers. The IMAC computer launched in 1998 made apple computer company out of the desperate situation of bankruptcy. They are now manufacturing the most fashionable products in the computer kingdom. The design of the "powermac G4 Cube" computer launched by the company in 2000 follows the successful experience of IMAC computer. The host is installed in a white transparent plastic square box, and its smooth surface achieves a perfect effect in manufacturing technology. It adopts an optical mouse and a speaker the size of a baseball. The launch of this computer will set off a new round of buying enthusiasm for Apple computers. (Figure 6) the success of apple computer is also the success of personalized design. The desktop camera launched by Philips Electronics won the gold medal of the American Industrial Design Excellence Award in 1999. After the product was launched, it has achieved great market success because of its unique and interesting shape. This is a thing with a shape similar to potatoes. Its cartoon shape looks like a funny toy, designer's