Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human characteristic to non-human entities; in some cases it is obvious and in others it is very subtle. It is seen regularly in animation with animals and objects coming to life, possessing human like qualities. It can also be seen in real life from the cars we drive and the products we buy to the food we eat and the houses we live in. Anthropomorphism if used well can be a powerful tool for a designer it can help the end user feel more comfortable as well as affording the intended function of an item. Although this technique has been applied to the world of architecture and interiors, I think it would be interesting to see it done in a more subtle manner to create an unconscious feeling of the designed environment.
Anthropomorphism can be used to give something personality. It can be used to make something seem tough like a bottle for drain unblocker or equally delicate in a bottle of moisturiser. The designs of these bottles are able to tell the user what the product inside is likely to act like. Hard lines and sharp angles portray ideas of toughness and masculinity whilst soft and delicate curves portray elegance and femininity. This can be seen in the sketches I have done below, where I have tried to create two different aesthetics that suggest different purposes or intended users. When applying this to buildings and interiors you could play with different physical geometries to change the feeling of the room. In bedrooms you could use softer shapes to suggest comfort whilst in other rooms like an office you could use harder shapes to promote concentration and suggest seriousness It is not only physical geometry that could be used to change the environment the softness or sharpness of light can be used to give a space personality.
In some cases of anthropomorphism, it can seem a bit like a gimmick and this tends to be when the anthropomorphism it too obvious. In human’s emotion is conveyed through facial expressions and body shape. Representing this in a non-human entity can be difficult but if done well can create a desired emotion for the environment. I decided to try and replicate different emotions by changing the shape of an opening which could be used between rooms. You can see how the harsher lines make it feel more serious whilst curved lines make it feel more comforting or fun. The degree of this feeling can be changed by the angle and strength of these lines.
A paper by J Lee looks at the relationship between emotions and shape. An experiment was conducted in which a 3D modelled phone is bent or folded in different ways. There were 101 variation and participant were asked to evaluate them with regards to Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear (Lee, Baek and Ju, 2018). The results showed that the high happiness shapes were all bent on a horizontal axis predominantly convexly. These shapes tended to remind people of the body shape we make when we laugh. Conversely the shapes bent in the horizontal axis in a concave manner portrayed sadness and fear, again they give the suggestion of human form and shoulders hunched over. The shapes bending on a diagonal axis evoked anger or disgust, I think that these shapes could be seen as either dismissive or uncomfortable leading to this reaction. I think that it is so interesting that an item does not have to be given a face or other human qualities to be anthropomorphised. Just a simple bend can convey so much emotion as it is unconsciously relatable to us.
When including an element of anthropomorphism in design it tends to be more affective and less tacky if it is done subtly. If it becomes too obvious it can also become untrustworthy as it replicates humans too well. It is intended to create a subconscious connection with the user to afford an action or create an emotion. In my own design work, I would like to try and convey or suggest emotions for people to experience when in an environment I have created. If they can be done without you being able to quite put your finger on what it is that makes you feel like that then I think this would be a success.
References
Mitchell, E., 2019. Design Defined: Anthropomorphic Form In Product Design | Bresslergroup. [online] Bresslergroup. Available at: <https://www.bresslergroup.com/blog/design-defined-how-anthropomorphic-form-shapes-product-design/#:~:text=Anthropomorphism%20uses%20hidden%20characteristics%20and,give%20designers%20another%20creative%20tool.> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
Lee, J., Baek, J. and Ju, D., 2018. Anthropomorphic Design: Emotional Perception for Deformable Object. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, p.1829.
Images
Dockray, H., 2017. Try And Tell Me This Isn’t True Love. [image] Available at: <https://mashable.com/2017/03/14/gay-characters-beauty-beast-lefou/?europe=true> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
Lee, J., Baek, J. and Ju, D., 2018. Examples Of 3D Modeled Images. The Main Images Of The Shapes Are Positioned In The Center, And The Supplemental Images Of The Shapes Are Placed At The Top Right Corner. [image] Available at: <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6175972/> [Accessed 21 December 2020].
Harry Castle 