Interesting Topic: Formgiving in China

found on the web:

An introduction to formgiving in
Chinese product design

Vigleik Norheim
Department of Product Design
Norwegian University of Science and Technology

ABSTRACT

The article is a holistic and cultural introduction to formgiving in Chinese product design, both
theoretical and practical. Observations were made during a 4-week stay in China in a university and
two design offices. Introducing and comparing various Western approaches to form in product design
with the Chinese approach proved to a certain degree unfair, as their tradition in the field is yet very
young. The aim of this text is thus to explain why form in Chinese product design is where it is today
in a cultural and social context. The article concludes that Chinese designers need more freedom and
authority, much like the early Western designers at the dawn of our own industrial revolution.