Shape grammars at New Designers 2007 (12-15 July)

 
In the Product Design programme at Leeds, students are exposed to contemporary design research thinking through project work aligned with research initiatives. For example, a research through design project is built upon current Designing for the 21st Century research to explore the role of shape grammars in design practice.

Shape grammar theory enables us to perform computations with shapes in two steps: recognition of a particular sub-shape and its possible replacement.

Used within the design process this can allow us to translate and rearrange the system of patterns and shapes which make up an everyday object.

There is no right or wrong path. There is always more than one solution.

By applying a set of rules, the shapes within a given object are transformed leading to unexpected and sometimes inspirational results.

 

Silver bullet: a shape grammar inspired Martini glass design

"Shape Grammar allows us to deconstruct what we see. Shapes are things that can be drawn on a page with points, lines and planes and that can be shifted around to create different shapes. In order to make sense of the new shape, a formula is applied. There is no right or wong path. The shape grammar rules encourage us to be more aware of what is around us and how we perceive those inspirations.

By becoming more aware of how we produce that great idea, we can reproduce our creativity in future work.

Shape grammar is a philosophy that need not only be applied to shape generation in design. The philosophy talks about accepting that there is always more than one solution, it is by training one's eye and mind to be more open to possibilities that one can refone an idea to be the best solution.

Desconstruction of Silver Bullet.

I began by breaking the three components that make a Martini glass: the vessel, stem and base in elevation view. I played around with the order of the components. I used my results to question whether my designs were still a MArtini glass even though the shapes were in different orders and angles.

A narrative evolved around the design. It told a story of a glass that had been shot at the stem and had tumbled to form a new form, that ofd the Silver Bullet. The name, Silver Bullet, is derived from a nickname for a dry martini."

Jessica Diniz

 

Some other shape grammar inspired Martini glass designs

Acknowledgements
This page was compiled by Dr Alison McKay based on material presented at the New Designers 2007 exhibition by MDes Leeds graduates. The designs were developed in a workshop led by Prof George Stiny with support from Dr Hau Hing Chau.