Re: Resources for Form & Space Course

Dear Alireza

The following may be of interest predominately from a product semantics standpoint:

Boucharenc, Christian (2008) Design for a Contemporary World. NUS Press, Singapore
Evans, Martyn & Sommerville, Simon (2007) Seeing is Believing: The Challenge of Product Semantics in the Curriculum. INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENGINEERING AND PRODUCT DESIGN EDUCATION, NORTHUMBRIA UNIVERSITY, NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, UK.
Karjalainen, Toni-Matti (2006) Semantic Transformations in Design. University of Art and Design, Helsinki
Karjalainen, Toni-Matti (2007) It looks like a Toyota: Educational approaches to designing for visual brand recognition. International Journal of Design, 1(1),
67-81.
Butter, Reinhart (1989) Putting Theory into Practice: An Application of Product Semantics to Transportation Design. Design Issues, Vol. 5, No. 2, pp. 51-67
PRODUCT SEMANTICS '89 CONFERENCE, & VÄKEVÄ, S. (1990) Product Semantics '89: Proceedings from the Products Semantics '89 Conference, 16-19 May 1989 at the University of Industrial Arts Helsinki UIAH. Helsinki, University of Industrial Arts.

Best

Martyn Evans
Senior Lecturer: Design
Lancaster University
T: +44 (0)1524 593435
W: www.imagination.lancaster.ac.uk/people/martyn_evans/

-----Original Message-----
From: PhD-Design - This list is for discussion of PhD studies and related research in Design [mailto:PHD-DESIGN@...] On Behalf Of Alireza Ajdari
Sent: 03 July 2009 03:11
To: PHD-DESIGN@...
Subject: Resources for Form & Space Course

Dear List members

We have in Iran a bachelor course for Industrial Design Students named  
under title "Form & Space" , maybe equal to form studies in other  
countries , where students learn how to deal with form and it's  
relation to space. The key items
for study are :

a. Structure of Form
b. Shaping and Formation of Form based on Specific Function
c. Internal and External Functional Relation.
d. Spatial Relation of Form in Stability and in Motion
e. Analysis of Forms of a Whole Set ( with each other and in relation  
to their surrounding space whether natural or artificial)

Could you please introduce some resources which could support these key items?

To open the discussion, I remember when I was in Delft I could  
recognize two groups working simultaneously on Form Studies: One group  
based on perception of form based on Affordance Theory, which was  
originated by Gerda Smets and the other trying to translate the term  
space as context and even linguistic Context
,in comparison to the term space as we described before.

In Italy , I mean Politecnico di Milano , I can find that two  
publications which are somehow related , one is old and the other newer.

Arnaboldi , Mario & Enrico Garbagnati (1971): Genesi della Forma.  
Padova: 1971.

Hachen, Massimo (2007): Scienza della visione : spazio e Gestalt,  
design e comunicazione . Milano: Apogeo.

Unfortunately both of them are in Italian. While the former could  
cover some key items, the latter is nearer to a Design course which we  
call, Foundations of Figurative Arts, more related to elements and  
principles of mostly 2D forms perception based on Gestalt Principles.

Sorry for long post, I wish I could open up a fruitful discussion. If  
needed , I would be happy to share my own experiences about these items.


Best wishes
Alireza Ajdari

--
Alireza Ajdari, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor in Industrial Design,
Department of Industrial Design,
University of Tehran ,Iran.
Cell : +98 936 046 7986
Tel :  +98 21 66415867