Culture in Design: the Analysis of Culture Through Semiotics and Its Role in the Automotive Industry
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Culture in Design: The Analysis of Culture through Semiotics and its role in the Automotive Industry by Matthew Paul Morley A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Auburn University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Industrial Design Auburn, Alabama May 3, 2014 Keywords: industrial, design, culture, semiotics, automotive Copyright 2014 by Matthew Paul Morley Approved by Tin-man Lau, Chair, Professor of Industrial Design Shuwen Tzeng, Associate Professor of Industrial Design Christopher Arnold, Associate Professor of Industrial Design Abstract With over 60 million automobiles being produced in 2013, the amount of time and energy that goes into the automotive design process is extremely valuable. Billions of dollars are spent on research and development to ensure that new vehicles will be a success. With the emergence of new markets around the world this is a challenging task. Currently, many automotive companies are experiencing declining revenue and difficulty breaking into these new markets. One of the main reasons for this challenge is that the vehicles they are producing are not designed with specific cultures in mind, merely slightly modified vehicles built from one global design language. The objective of this study will be to create a new design approach where culture takes a leading role in the design process. By researching cultures individually with the assistance of semiotics, the characteristics of any given culture will be broken down to its base level and then translated with semiotics into a tangible process to apply to design. By exploring the uniqueness of the chosen culture the outcome of this study will infuse this new design approach with the richness of cultural diversity. The globalization of companies and information has been rapidly spreading since the birth of the internet in the late 1980s. This globalization connects different cultures all over the world, making all cultures susceptible to outside influences and trends. While larger companies and the media seem to tell the public what is acceptable and in style, this study is in juxtaposition and ii aims to prove this trend irrelevant. By implementing this new design approach to the automotive design process, this study also stands to show how this culturally infused product will connect with the consumer on a more substantial level. This connection should establish a stronger bond between product and consumer, proving more meaningful in value and in turn increasing revenue. iii Acknowledgments The author would like to thank Auburn University’s Department of Industrial Design for its incredible support in all phases of research and conceptual development during this project. Thank you to the faculty and staff of the Department of Industrial Design, especially the board: Tin-Man Lau, Chris Arnold and Shu-Wen Tzeng. Thank you for your knowledge and wisdom that you have bestowed upon me, making me a better designer and preparing me for my professional career. To my family and friends, thank you for the amazing amount of support and encouragement along the way. And a special thank you to my wife, Amanda. Without your unwavering support and love I could have not accomplished this milestone in my life. iv Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………ii Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………….…….iv List of Figures & Illustrations……………………………………………………………………ix 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Background……………………………………………………………………..p. 1 1.2 Problem Statement…………………………………………………………….p. 11 1.3 Need for Study………………………………………………………………...p. 12 1.4 Objectives in Study……………………………………………………………p. 14 1.5 Definition of Terms……………………………………………………………p. 16 1.6 Assumptions……………………………………………………………….…..p. 20 1.7 Scope & Limitations……………………………………………………….….p. 21 1.8 Methods & Procedures…………………………………………………….….p. 22 1.9 Anticipated Outcome………………………………………………………....p. 29 2.0 Literature Review 2.1 Cultural Overview 2.1.1 What is Culture?...................................................................................p. 30 2.1.2 The Basis of Culture………………………………………………….p. 34 2.1.3 Cultural Influence…………………………………………………….p. 39 v 2.1.4 The Self-Awareness of Culture………………………………..…….p. 45 2.1.5 High & Low Context Cultures……………………………………....p. 47 2.1.6 Culture in Design…………………………………………………....p. 52 2.2 Semiotics Overview 2.2.1 Identifying Culture through Semiotics…………………………..…..p. 55 2.2.2 Identifying Culture through Patterns……………………………..….p. 57 2.2.3 Semiotics in Use…………………………………………………..…p. 62 2.2.4 The Importance of Semiotics……………………………………..…p. 65 2.2.5 Semiotic Analysis………………………………………………..….p. 67 2.3 Automotive Industry Overview 2.3.1 The Current State of the Automotive Industry…………………..….p. 95 2.3.2 Globalization in the Automotive Industry………………………..…p. 96 2.3.3 United States Auto Industry………………………………………...p. 99 2.3.4 European Auto Industry…………………………………………...p. 101 2.3.5 Japanese Auto Industry……………………………………………p. 104 2.3.6 Emerging Markets…………………………………………………p. 107 2.3.7 Advances in the Automobile………………………………………p. 112 2.3.8 Automotive Design Process……………………………………….p. 118 3.0 Development of Approach 3.1 Approach to Identifying Culture…………………………………………..p. 130 3.2 Approach to Semiotic Analysis……………………………………………p. 134 3.3 Automotive Design Process: Implementing Cultural and Semiotic Analysis…………………………………………………………………………....p. 150 vi 4.0 Application of Approach 4.1 Cultural Analysis…………………………………………………………….p. 157 4.1.1 Data Collection……………………………………………………....p. 158 4.1.2 Analysis & Incorporation……………………………………………p. 168 4.2 Semiotics Analysis 4.2.1 Data Collection & Analysis…………………………………………p. 177 4.3 Automotive Analysis 4.3.1 Mission Statement…………………………………………………..p. 204 4.3.2 Gantt Chart………………………………………………………….p. 205 4.3.3 Location & Market Research……………………………………….p. 206 4.3.4 Observations………………………………………………………..p. 210 4.3.5 Product Comparison………………………………………………..p. 212 4.3.6 Flow Chart………………………………………………………….p. 214 4.3.7 Target Demographic………………………………………………..p. 215 4.3.8 User Personas………………………………………………………p. 219 4.3.9 Performance Criteria……………………………………………….p. 222 4.3.10 Morphological Matrix……………………………………………...p. 223 4.3.11 Interaction Analysis………………………………………………..p. 224 4.3.12 Mind Map………………………………………………………….p. 225 4.3.13 Summary…………………………………………………………..p. 226 4.4 Concept Design 4.4.1 Initial Sketches………………………………………………….….p. 228 4.4.2 Refined Sketches……………………………………………….…..p. 230 4.4.3 Final Concept………………………………………………………p. 233 vii 4.4.4 Physical Model…………………………………………………….…p. 235 5.0 Conclusion 5.1 Cultural Incorporation………………………………………………………..p. 238 5.2 Semiotic Incorporation…………………………………………………….…p. 241 5.3 Automotive Incorporation……………………………………………………p. 242 5.4 Summary……………………………………………………………………..p. 244 References……………………………………………………………………………………p. 245 viii List of Figures & Illustrations FIGURE 1 Aristotle’s triangular model of how a sign is composed………………………...p.7 FIGURE 2 Population Increase. This figure shows the rapid increase in population due to cultural knowledge……………………………………………………………………………..p.31 FIGURE 3 Cultural Influence. This figure shows the six levels of influence……………..p. 39 FIGURE 4 Layers of Influence. This figure shows the four layers of influence…………..p.40 FIGURE 5 Saussure’s signified/signifier model. This figure shows Saussure’s relationship between the signifier and the signified………………………………………………………...p.68 FIGURE 6 Types of Respresentamina. This figure shows Pierce’s breakdown of representamina into qualisigns, sinsigns and legisigns………………………………………..p.69 FIGURE 7 Object Representation. This figure shows Pierce’s breakdown of representation into icons, indexes and symbols………………………………………………………………p.70 FIGURE 8 Types of Interpretants. This figure shows Pierce’s breakdown of interpretants into rhemes, dicisigns and arguments………………………………………………………………p.71 FIGURE 9 Summary of Pierce’s Model. This figure shows Pierce’s overall thought process with his three models combined ………………………………………………………………p.71 FIGURE 10 Syntagmatic/Paradigmatic Relationship. This figure shows the basic structure of the syntagmatic and paradigmatic model…..…………….……………………………………p.74 FIGURE 11 Syntagmatic Relationships. This figure shows the basic structure of the syntagmatic model……………………………………………………………………………..p.77 FIGURE 12 Proximity Images. This figure shows how the mind arranges objects based upon their proximity to one another ………………………………………………….……………..p.83 ix FIGURE 13 Similarity Images. This figure shows how the mind arranges objects based upon their similarity ………………………………………………….……………………………..p.83 FIGURE 14 Good Continuation Image. This figure shows how the mind connects objects most efficiently based upon predetermined visual paths……………………..……………………..p.84 FIGURE 15 Closure Image. This figure shows how the mind can ‘close’ images off based on their relationship to other objects……………………….……………………………………..p.84 FIGURE 16 Smallness Image. This figure shows how the mind quickly focuses on the smaller darker objects than the larger white objects……………………….…………………………..p.85 FIGURE 17 Symmetry Image. This figure shows how the mind focuses on the symmetrical areas faster than the non-symmetrical areas…………………………………………………...p.85 FIGURE 18 Surroundness Image. This figure shows how the mind creates ‘figures’ out of surrounding shapes……………………………………………………...……………………...p.85 FIGURE 19 Vanishing Point Image. This figure shows how the use of perspective can impact the viewer’s perception…………………….…………………………...……………………...p.90 FIGURE 20 Daphne & Apollo. This picture shows the various levels