Expressive Design: An Intersection of Design and Meaning

Abstract

Good product design is an appropriate balance of form, function, and value. As form becomes more and more commoditized, manufacturing materials and processes are easily accessible and technologies are less and less proprietary. Creating value has become a more significant component of the product development process. This value component has nudged product producers to search for ways to give value to the goods and services they sell.

One-way value is created is to connect people with the products they use by imbuing the products with meaning. This is “Expressive Design”. Expressive design is used to effectively convey a meaning, idea or feeling. Expression connects the product to the user in a surprising way providing a secondary level of emotional impact. Some of the tools that help provide the emotional connection are connections to culture, metaphors, paradoxes, surprise, or the form imitating the function. This paper describes the development of the concept of “Expressive Design” and its evolution into course curriculum.