Product appearance design that realizes innovation of meaning: focusing on the impact of color changes on product meaning

Purpose This study aims to focus on color, a product appearance design element tied to cultural/usage contexts, to elucidate the dynamic process of context shifts and symbolic meaning reconstruction triggered by color changes. Design/methodology/approach The analysis focused on a successful case in which a product’s symbolic meaning is reconstructed, creating a distinct market. It examined Iwachu’s Nambu ironware teapots, “traditional crafts,” for which product color change is the primary trigger in the innovation of meaning. Company viewpoints were collected by the semi-structured interviews, and consumer viewpoints were compiled through online consumer reviews, posts and interviews. Data from both viewpoints were analyzed using a three-stage coding method based on grounded theory. Findings This study dynamically analyzes innovation of meaning by shifting the cultural/usage contexts associated with product appearance. Product color, tied to the existing contexts, is replaced with multiple hues and tones reflecting contrasting contexts. Other design elements embodying existing contexts, including form/material, were preserved. This enabled traditional and contemporary cultural/usage contexts to coexist within the product, diversifying its symbolic meaning. Originality/value Design and interpretation of meaning are interactive and inseparable, yet have been examined separately in academic discussions. This study presents an integrated discussion of design-driven innovation of meaning, focusing on how shaping appearance design shifts cultural/usage contexts and reconstructs symbolic meaning. Product appearance design was decomposed into constituent elements (color/form/material) to examine their effects on meaning. These findings suggest a dynamic mechanism in which color changes create new contexts, while the preserved form/material maintains existing contexts, thus reconstructing symbolic meaning.