An important aspect in the development of products is the definition of color, material and effect, since design is to a large extent felt and experienced through the surface.
By considering and using these factors function or positioning of a product can be made clear. The following is an example of some of the possibilities offered by a sensitive and conscious approach to the issue.
Through the use of grafting methods (eg, painting, vacuum metalizing, in-mould decoration, applications, etc.) a product can vary in its perceived value among other things in order to reinforce the positioning at a suitable price point.
Industrially manufactured products are used by many people with different backgrounds in terms of gender, age, socialization or origin.
Via the application of color, material and texture of the surfaces defined target groups can be addressed directly. It doesn’t always have to be pink for women.
In cases where a product differentiation is economically sensible to cover market niches, CMF variants of a product provide a good alternative to the creation of completely new product types. With the formation of variants one can dispense with costly factors of development and tool making.
With the help of CMF variants recent developments in other areas of design, such as color trends from the area of fashion, can be applied to products already introduced to the market. This way, the market acceptance is encouraged, so that the end of the major growth phase within the life cycle of the product can be delayed and the cash flow increased.
Color, material and surface effects provide very good opportunities to create contrasts of different types. For this reason, it makes sense to add a semantic function, a signalizing function to these factors. This may be, for example a gripping surface that show the user the position where to grip the device, through a change of color or surface structure, so that the technical function is properly fulfilled.