植物意象應用於產品形態表現之研究

Abstract

地球上存在著約莫四十萬種的植物，它們結構不同、形態各異，並且適應著各種不同的生長條件。而在這多如繁星的植物物種中，人類憑著本能就可以覺知植物散發出來的美感，而這樣的美感，也帶給了人類精神上的滿足，因此人類與花草共處時是愉快的，舉凡婚禮、生日或儀式慶典，都少不了植物花葉的存在；而表達愛意、感謝、致敬或友誼，花卉植物更是傳達心意最好的媒介！由此可知，人類與植物的關係是如此密切，而在設計中，植物形態及其物種的多樣性，更是豐富了設計師創作的靈感及發想的創意。 人類對於產品的要求日新月異，在科技及技術發達的今日，徒具產品的基本功能已不再能滿足產品使用者的需求！而設計的目的，除了產品機能的設計之外，更重要的是，設計必須創造出一個「有意義」的概念，進而透過產品的設計，讓使用者聯想到相似的記憶情感，並引起共鳴。 因此本研究旨在探討透過植物意象之萃取，並將之意象轉化至產品形態上之方法及模式，以提供設計師在植物意象之萃取及對於產品形態轉化應用之參考。本研究將透過植物學以及植物觀察等相關理論，彙整出何謂「植物意象」以及「植物形態」之特點，此外也將透過工藝美術運動、新藝術運動以及近代產品設計之作品，比較並分析出三個不同時期，其植物意象在產品形態運用上之差異，並藉由文獻分析，以整理出意象轉化之方法及模式。 本研究結果將建立出一個以植物意象為主題之設計轉化模式（以梅蘭竹菊為例），此設計模式為：(1)應用之植物意象分析企劃、(2)意象及形態組合分析、(3)產品設定及其結構分析、(4)形態轉化設計進行。由於本研究是以植物意象作為設計之出發，故在設計一開始，我們必須先選定欲想運用設計之植物，在選定運用之植物後，將開始進行主題植物之意象分析，並藉由歸納出來的意象，並且配合植物本身之造形特徵進行配對分析；在確定欲將設計之產品種類後，我們就可以運用植物意象及植物形態特徵之分析配對結果，來進行產品形態之設計規劃。為實證此設計模式，本研究以梅蘭竹菊為例，設計出一套以花中四君子為主題之燈飾，透過植物意象的萃取及造形特徵之分析組合，讓產品能夠使消費者成功的產生意象之連結。The Earth has some 40,000 plant species. They differ in structure and morphology, and are adapted to many different types of growing conditions. Human beings instinctively sense beauty in plants, deriving spiritual satisfaction from this sense of beauty and happiness from contact with plants. The flowers and foliage of plants are indispensable elements in all kinds of rituals and celebrations, such as weddings and birthdays; and flowering plants are an ideal medium for expressing sentiments such as love, gratitude, respect, or friendship. This is indicative of humans’ close relationship with plants. In the field of design, the diversity of form and of species among plants provides designers with a rich source of inspiration and imagination. People continually place new requirements on products, and in today’s era of highly developed science and technology, a product’s basic functions are no longer sufficient to satisfy users’ demands. Beyond designing a product’s functional capabilities, an important aim of design must be to create “meaningful” concepts, causing users to make mental connections with similar memories and emotions, and thereby eliciting a sympathetic response. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to explore methods and models for extracting plant images and applying them to the form of products by means of image transformation, in order to provide designers with a reference for such an approach. Through related theories such as botany and plant observation, this study delineates the characteristics of “plant images” and “plant morphology.” It also uses comparative analysis of product designs from the Arts and Crafts movement, the Art Nouveau movement, and more recent work, to identify differences in the application of plant images to product form in these three different periods, and uses literature analysis to identify methods and models for image transformation. The results of this study are used to establish a transformational design model centered on plant images, taking the plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum as examples. (These plants are known as the “Four Gentlemen” in Chinese traditional art, and represent the four seasons.) This design model comprises: (1) analysis and planning of plant images to be utilized; (2) combinatory analysis of image and form; (3) product definition and analysis of product structure; and (4) execution of design by transformation of form. Because this study takes plant images as the starting point for design, at the beginning of the design process we must first select the plant(s) whose images we wish to apply to the design. We then begin to analyze images of the thematic plants, and using the images so selected, in coordination with the plants’ morphological characteristics, perform a matching analysis. After deciding the type of product we wish to design, by applying the results of the matching analysis based on plant images and plant morphological characteristics, we can then design the product’s form. In order to verify the design model, a set of lamps was designed on the theme of the “Four Gentlemen,” utilizing the extraction of plant images and the combinatory analysis of morphological characteristics to enable the products to effectively elicit connections with images in the minds of consumers.