• Research has shown that successful publicity refers to universal emotions. Read more ...
• Product design, semantics and emotional response. Read more ...

The judgment of the consumer concerning the degree in which creative work deserves an award does not correspond to the appreciation of the jury of ADCN. Creativity is not the only means to affect the consumer
effectively. Creation is rather a term that is used by the publicity makers themselves and the standards are put from an internal publicity reality. Consumers however are touched by publicity if there's 'something doing'. When a consumer examines the work, something must happen with him, it must arouse emotions. What leads now to the touching of the consumer? From the research some important observations came forward:

Recognizable emotions.
Consumers are 'touched' when the publicity can attach in a certain manner to emotions and needs which are deeply rooted. Recognition, not by means of recognizable objects, needs and situations of the target group, but by using archetypical characters or symbols in a mythical narration which refers to our elementary drifts, and which realise recognition and imaginability at a subconscious level. It is Important that at an implicit level, at the level of universal needs and emotions, one can imagine the characters, the story. Showing reality in a coarse manner as a means to recognition, lacks originality and gives a feeling to the consumer that little can be experienced there.

Being funny is not enough.
Humour has always an element of surprise in itself. But a joke or a nice tale however, is not sufficient to affect the consumer really. Humour does not work when it cannot attach to universal emotions which give a feeling of relevance.

Design only does not lead to effectiveness.
Consumers appreciate it if a work is well made and well-cared-for. An aesthetic design however is generally coupled to a feeling of wealth and luxury. It is not the art work which counts. There is always something necessary that all renewal and innovativeness also links with the well known. The key to succes is to give the design relevancy and meaning, to make it significant.

Inez michiels

• ADCN, Art Directors Club Netherlands.
• Synovate Censydiam

Product design, semantics and emotional response.
Paper, Oya Demirbilek (design Research Group, Faculty of the Build Environment, University of New South Wales) and Bahar Sener (Dep. of Industrial Design and Technology, Loughborough University, United Kingdom).

The paper explores theoretical issues in ergonomics related to semantics and the emotional content of design. In other words, this is an investigation of the 'meaning' that could be designed into a product in order to 'communicate' with the user at an emotional level.

The Dream Society.
Recent design trends show an inclination towards objects that inspire users, enhance their lives, help in triggering emotions or even in evoking dreams (Jensen 1999, Alessi 2000). Jensen predicts that the Dream Society is coming soon, following a society based on data, called the Information Society (1999). As information and brainpower are becoming the realm of computers and high-tech, society will place new value on a human ability that has not been automated yet: emotion.

Functionality and meaning.
Functionality is more and more taken for granted in products, and users are looking for fulfillment at an altogether different level of appreciation. Imagination, myths, and rituals have an effect on our behaviours, ranging from our buying decision to our communication with others. As Paul Hekkert (2002), chairman of the Design & Emotions Society says: "It is no longer sufficient to design good products or services; we all want to design experiences and generate pleasurable or exciting sensations." Can affective interactions be designed and how do designers and industries deal with this new design paradigm?

Product semantics.
Intentionally or not, all manufactured products make a statement through shape, form, colour, texture, etc. Messages are being sent through products via a part of language structures that deal with meaning, called semantics. The semantic functions provide the designer with the possibility to communicate a clear message through the product. According to Wikström (1996), the semantic functions should make the product comprehensible. Both the whole products and its individual parts should communicate the intended message, so that the user knows how the product should be handled merely by looking at it.
Product semantics is an approach to develop a visual vocabulary in products, helping to reflect function and underlying associations. When properly applied, products can become more intuitive, emotionally and psychologically comfortable for users, allowing them to make emotional connections with otherwise impersonal objects.

The emotional response.
According to Griffin (1999) the process of interpreting and decoding semantic content involves two different reactions. The first one based on knowledge and dependent on social and cultural background, and the second reaction being emotional. The emotional response is an automatic response (deep inside our brain) to the thoughts that we have associated with the situation or the object.

"Form follows Emotion".
This is the motto of Esslinger, the founder of Frog Design, one of worlds famous design companies, who differentiate their products by employing semantics in their design and marketing strategies. Even if a design is elegant and functional, it will not have "a place in our lives unless it can appeal at a deeper level, to our emotions." He also believes that people will care more for a product if it has built in emotional value. Frog Design helped many brands such as Apple, Sony, Lufthansa and Ford.
The Swiss watch-making company Swatch say that they are selling emotional products. Swatch conveys something personal, not being just about nice colour or fitting to the outfit, but by saying something about the personality of the wearer. An emotional product is something that you get involved with (Hayek 1994).

Conclusions.
Everybody agrees that the emotional content of design is gaining more and more importance for Ergonomics and Design Science. According to the writers of this paper there are no direct methods for predicting, evaluating and measuring this human product phenomenon. They belief that emotions are cultural, taking shape in childhood, and that people's emotional responses to products seem to vary between different generations, social groups, nationalities and cultures. A lot of research needs to be done.
Inez michiels

Links:

• University of New South Wales, Australia, Faculty of the Built Environment.
• Department of Industrial Design and Technology, Loughborough University, UK.