Talking about "Green Design" in Industrial Design (II)

Second, "green design" method and its development

There are a lot of names that are close to and related to "green design." This article follows the common concept of people and collectively refers to the design method of design from the perspective of the environment as "green design." "Green Design" focuses on the impact on nature and solves certain individual problems, such as the utilization of resources and energy, and the reduction of waste through recycling. In some developed countries, most of the waste metals and plastics can be classified and recycled, or they can be sorted for reuse. The product design of waste disposal “to be born” to sort household waste has become one of the hot spots in contemporary industrial design.

Ecological design is also referred to as life cycle design, which uses ecological thinking to prioritize product environmental attributes in the product life cycle. In addition to considering product performance, quality, and cost, product recycling and disposal must also be considered. At the same time, the economical, functional and aesthetic factors of the product must also be considered. The basic theoretical basis of product ecological design is industrial metabolism theory and life cycle assessment in industrial ecology.

Sustainability design is a broader design approach than the former. More aspects are involved, such as the development of the future of the nation and the development of future generations sharing resources, how to ensure the function of the product while reducing the burden on the entire planet. The typical theory is to improve the efficiency of products while promoting the development of related service systems: to examine the essential functions of products for users and to prolong the life of products; The design of the product itself is even more important. The focus of sustainable product design is on the analysis of external factors that affect the product life cycle.

In addition, there are other product design optimization methods. Such as the use of environmentally friendly materials (recyclable and recycled materials). Studies have shown that in order to change the status quo of profligate consumption that has an impact on the environment and to develop the level of consumption of sustainable development of the earth's resources, our long-term goal should be to strive to build stronger and lasting links with our products. For these reasons, prolonging the lifespan of products in the development of environmentally friendly products is more important than other strategies, while at the same time encouraging sustainable and long-term consumption patterns among consumers.

Third, the future "green design" style and trends

The designer is also the creator of design style and taste. The visual image of the product also has an indirect impact on the environment. Mainly reflected in two aspects of product life span relative to the choice of materials. Because people’s past lifestyles have caused a large number of outdated product varieties, and the speed of frequent product replacement has had a bad influence on environmental protection, if we can extend the product lifespan, we can reduce unnecessary waste of resources. Studies have shown that consumers' psychological factors and materials play an important role in facilitating the obsolescence of existing products. In today's relatively prosperous material economy, the likes and dislikes of consumers often directly determine the "lifespan" of some products.

From some perspectives, "green design" cannot be seen as a manifestation of style. Successful "green design" products come from the designer's high awareness of environmental issues and use the experience, knowledge, and creativity of designers and related organizations in the design and development process. At present, there are roughly the following kinds of design themes and development trends:

1) The use of natural materials in the form of "unprocessed" is reflected and applied in furniture products, building materials and fabrics.
2) Nostalgic and simple style, carefully integrated into the "high-tech" factors, make users feel that the product is amiable and warm.
3) Practical and energy-saving.
4) Emphasize the economics of using materials, abandon the useless functions and the style of pure decoration, create a vivid and vivid shape, return to the simplicity of the classic.
5) Multi-purpose product design, which can increase the design of fun by changing, avoid the need of replacement due to boredom; it can be upgraded, updated, and extend the life by using other materials as little as possible; use “additional intelligence” or Remove the assembly.
6) Dematerialization of products and services.
7) Combination design and cycle design.

We can't simply assume that products with obvious recyclable materials must be “green products” because product recyclability may be an excuse for accelerating the speed of product disposal, and people’s recognition of the appearance of recyclable materials may also be It will affect the sales of the product. When "green design" gradually integrated into the design of mainstream products, designers faced not just a few "green fanatics" but ordinary consumers. If the design focuses only on functionality and ignores the user's aesthetic needs, the product life cannot be extended.

IV. Conclusion

The requirement of sustainable social development indicates that "green design" will remain one of the hot spots in the 21st century industrial design. In order to reduce environmental problems, designers must improve the environmental performance of their products. They must have a good understanding of the environmental issues and their impact. This requires a greater understanding of science and technology than ever before. It also requires creativity and innovation. Thinking and imaginative. "Green design" brings more challenges to industrial design and brings more opportunities.




Author - Zhu Lian, Zhang Fuchang (School of Design, Jiangnan University)