Product Identity Recognition: A Cultural Product Design Approach

Abstract

In design field, culture plays an important role. Designing culture into modern product design is essential in the global market. So, a study to understand how to communicate culture in product design is needed. The paper studies how to translate local culture into modern product design to create strong identity recognition. Identity recognition is the result of complex experience of presentational and representational product dimensions, and it is key for recognition in global market. Hence it is important for designers to understand how to construct strong recognition through cultural design elements. Design case study in jewelry design is used to illustrate the possible product design that have strong recognition through translating local design elements. In this paper it is proposed a framework how to translate cultural elements into design elements with a method called IMO. The method become the means for recognizing and developing strategies to create product design with a strong product recognition. The framework can be utilized as a conceptual framework for academic tool in design education and designers when considering different approaches when designing product with local culture content.  The result of the framework is implemented in a design case study Toraja Carving Pattern-Inspired Jewelry Design With The Application Of Torajanese Granulation Technique.