The Application Of Design Semiotics In Automotive Styling Customization Design

In the 21st century, consumers'consumption ideas have greatly changed. People begin to choose the suitable goods according to some factors as personal preference and economic capabilities, meanwhile pursuing individuation. The importance of the automotive styling design plays more and more important as less and less differences of technology in new motorcycle types. Although customers would not easily make a decision to buy any kind of car, emotional factor becomes more and more important in car purchasing procedure.Because of the various and individual consumer demands, the demands for the car by means of the variety; specifications, styles and classifications increase, which continuously bring out the variety and subdivision in car market. The consumer command's variety and individuation have become a widespread trend. Automotive styling custom design becomes a brand new design method as the development of the technology. It varies from designs which can follow one's inclination like costume design, which can only try to meet the customers'individual demands on the premise that the production and cost feasible.Before the design semiotics, modern design emphasis on one side while ignoring the other side, design should be an overall design; what includes the beauty of the internal functions and external environment. Modern design has often been too much emphasis on products themselves to the neglect of the product users. Human is the creator of the product, but also benefit from the product. All products should be human-centered designed to create the necessary tools for human to survive and use. The purpose of design is not complex, human is the fundamental starting point for design. Design semiotics change the direction of modern design with changing the point: from structures to people. Since then the design around the human started. Design semiotics integrates logic, philosophy, anthropology, psychology, sociology, biology, communications and information science methods and research results. Focus on the design of semiotics and cultural significance of product design, to explore the reasons for the existence of the self design. Designed to break the semiotic function of product design and imprisonment, for the design provides more ground for the product design in a rich material life conditions provide users with better service.With the popularization of virtual reality in the future, automotive styling custom design will develop from two-dimension to three-dimension, and the content of the design will gradually develop from currently only the accessories to the direction of sculpture ingredient. In order to satisfy the customers'individual pursue to a maximum extent, the future manufacturer will set up material warehouses according to different customers, which will be a very good balance between cost and individuation. The purpose of the dissertation is to apply the design semiotics to analyze the automotive styling to understand the consumer's characters and diversity by the visible character and difference of automotive styling; so that the future car styling developing trends will be predicted; the conclusion will provide the theoretical basis of car styling database to auto manufactures. In consumer society, consumers buy goods are not only from the perspective of function and use, but also from a series of sense. Design semiotics is through research the visible meaning, then find out the meaning behind, and provide a theoretical basis for designer and consumers.The paper will focus on below topics :The use of design combined with the principle of semiotic content of automotive design to Mercedes-Benz brand as an example, under the brand S-class, C class, E-class models, the comparison of horizontal and vertical.1. alyze the consumers'characters of different series of models by comparing the design within each series of model in different age. The analysis method is assuming the product in the same series and different age as one symbol, set the age-axis as the paradigme.2. Set each series of models as a symbol, each series of models as the paradigme; set the grille, headlight and bumper as the unit on the syntagme to analyze the consumers'diversity of different series of models.3. Set the models of different brands as a symbol, and brands as the paradigme to compare the Mercedes-Benz S-class and the competition in the market, BMW 7 Series models to study the users'difference between Benz and BMW. 4. In accordance with result of the above analysis, we can forecast the potential users'characteristics of Mercedes-Benz, and then according to these characteristics to forecast the future development of the models. Through the analysis on the being launched Mercedes-Benz E-Class, we will validate the feasibility of the come out the paper predicts.The study result of the dissertation is to apply the design semiotics theory to the customizing design of automation, provide the theoretical basis of car styling database to auto manufactures, and satisfy the consumers'need; which is valuable for application.