Translating brand essence into product form: a case study in shape computation. (19th January 2010)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Chen, Xiaojuan; McKay, Alison; De Pennington, Alan; Chau, Hau Hing
• Is Part Of: Journal of design research. Volume 8:Number 1(2009)
• Page Start: 42
• Page End: 65
• Publication Date: 2010-01-19
• Subjects: product design -- perception -- shape computation -- brand essence -- branding strategy -- shape grammars -- affective design -- product shapes -- brand identity -- emotional responses; Design -- Human factors -- Periodicals; Design -- Methodology -- Periodicals; Design, Industrial -- Periodicals; 745.405
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1748-3050

Abstract

Differentiation between competing brands lies primarily in the eyes and minds of consumers. Three aspects of branding strategy are the maintenance of consistency across products within a brand, differentiation between products of different brands and the delivery of products that have the so-called 'wow' factor. This paper reports experiments using shape grammars and affective design techniques in the generation of product shapes that both capture key characteristics of a brand's identity and elicit pre-defined emotional responses.