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Cross-Cultural Design for Sustainability: From Design Thinking to Design Strategy

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 October 2023) | Viewed by 25759

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Graduate School of Creative Industry Design, National Taiwan University of Arts, New Taipei 22058, Taiwan
Interests: ergonomics in product design; human–computer interaction; design education and cognitive approach in design; cultural and creative product design
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Department of Arts and Design, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu 300044, Taiwan
Interests: craft and design education; cultural product design; metal arts and contemporary jewelry; placemaking
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Digital Media Arts, School of Media and Design, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing 100048, China
Interests: digital creative design; human–computer interaction; experimental aesthetics; data visualization; cognitive approach to design; design education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Digital Media Arts, School of Art and Design, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: digital creative design; animation; film; design education
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable development, which appeared for the first time in 1987 with the publication of the Brundtland Report, which warned of the negative environmental consequences of economic growth and globalization, involves trying to find possible solutions to the problems caused by industrialization and population growth. The three main pillars of sustainable development are economic growth, environmental protection, and social equality, which run in the opposite direction; connecting the ‘economy’ and ‘sustainability’ becomes a challenging issue. With increasing global competition, cross-cultural design is not merely desirable for a company in the design field, but rather is mandatory. On the other hand, the importance of studying sustainability is shown repeatedly in academic research studies in all fields. However, there is a lack of systematic approaches that cover ‘sustainability’ in cross-cultural design industries. For future studies, we need a better understanding of sustainability not only for cross-cultural design, but also for environmental protection and social equality. While cultural features become important issues in the interactive experiences of users, the sustainability between humans and culture becomes a vital issue in cross-cultural product design and is worthy of further in-depth study. Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on discussing how to use ‘design thinking’ in designing the cross-cultural product to build a ‘design strategy’ from the perspective of sustainable development. Whether it is the construction of a theoretical level or the promotion of practical applications, it still needs more effort from us. Thus, theoretical research via scrupulous literature reviews in various design scopes and empirical studies of significant design cases are welcome.

Potential topics include but are not limited to:

  • Frameworks for cultural industries and sustainable development with design thinking;
  • Theoretics and practice within cultural industries and sustainable design strategy.
  • Cultural industries and sustainable development of cross-disciplines;
  • Design implementation for sustainable development;
  • Research of creative design strategy;
  • Special topics of design case studies;
  • Design for society.

Relevant Reference:

  1. Chang, S.-H. Eliciting Brand Loyalty with Elements of Customer Experience: A Case Study on the Creative Life Industry. Sustainability 2022, 14, 11547. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811547
  2. Dorst, K. Frame Innovation: Create New Thinking by Design; MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, USA, 2012.
  3. Eriksson, Y. Different Perspectives in Design Thinking; CRC Press: Boca Raton, ‎FL, USA, 2022.
  4. Hsu, C.H.; Chang, S.H.; Lin, R. A Design Strategy for Turning Local Culture into Global Market Products. Int. J. Affect. Eng. 2013, 12(2), 275–283. https://doi.org/10.5057/ijae.12.275
  5. Kim, J.; Kwon, S.-H. K-Pop’s Global Success and Its Innovative Production System. Sustainability 2022, 14, 11101. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141711101
  6. Lawson, B. How Designers Think; Routledge: London, UK, 2006.
  7. Lee, Y.; Peng, C.; Lee, T.; Zhao, Z. Sustainable Development Assessment of Cultural and Creative Industries in Casino Cities: A Case Study of Macao. Sustainability 2022, 14, 4749. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084749
  8. Leong, B.D.; Clark, H. Culture-Based Knowledge Towards New Design Thinking and Practice: A Dialogue. Des. Issues 2003, 19(3), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1162/074793603768290838
  9. Lin, Y.-S.; Lin, M.-H. Exploring Indigenous Craft Materials and Sustainable Design—A Case Study Based on Taiwan Kavalan Banana Fibre. Sustainability 2022, 14, 7872. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137872
  10. Razzouk, R.; Valerie J. Shute, V.J. What Is Design Thinking and Why Is It Important? Review of Educational Research, 2012, 82(3), 330–348. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654312457429
  11. Sun, Y.; Lo, H.; Cao, J.; Lin, R. Inheritance of Traditional Family Values: A Comparative Study of Family Ancestral Shrines and Related Paintings of Lee Family. Sustainability 2022, 14, 7188. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127188
  12. Sun, Y.; Wu, I.-W.; Lin, R. Transforming “Ritual Cultural Features” into “Modern Product Forms”: A Case Study of Ancient Chinese Ritual Vessels. Religions 2022, 13, 517. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13060517
  13. Wu, J.; Ju, L.-H.; Lin, P.-H.; Lyu, Y. The Relationship between Form and Ritual in Cultural Sustainability. Sustainability 2022, 14, 9157. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159157
  14. Yang, C.-H.; Sun, Y.; Lin, P.-H.; Lin, R. Sustainable Development in Local Culture Industries: A Case Study of Taiwan Aboriginal Communities. Sustainability 2022, 14, 3404. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14063404
  15. Yen, H.-Y. How the Experience Designs of Sustainable Festive Events Affect Cultural Emotion, Travel Motivation, and Behavioral Intention. Sustainability 2022, 14, 11807. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141911807

Prof. Dr. Rungtai Lin
Prof. I-Ying Chiang
Dr. Yanru Lyu
Dr. Jun Wu
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sustainable development
  • cross-cultural design
  • cultural industries
  • design thinking
  • design strategy

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 26615 KiB  
Article
From Image to Imagination: Exploring the Impact of Generative AI on Cultural Translation in Jewelry Design
by Yanru Lyu, Minghong Shi, Yanbo Zhang and Rungtai Lin
Sustainability 2024, 16(1), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16010065 - 20 Dec 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4646
Abstract
The current proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) is prominently shaping the design industry. Generative AI, such as text-to-image and image-to-image models, has gained widespread use, notably for its efficiency and quality improvements. However, their potential to aid in cultural translation within creative design [...] Read more.
The current proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) is prominently shaping the design industry. Generative AI, such as text-to-image and image-to-image models, has gained widespread use, notably for its efficiency and quality improvements. However, their potential to aid in cultural translation within creative design is underexplored. To address the existing gap, this study aims to assess the impact of generative AI on cultural translation within jewelry design. Specifically, a comprehensive study was conducted through a design-action experiment, collecting 46 student designers’ design-action data and self-reports, and enlisting the evaluation from 30 design experts. The findings highlight the substantial influence of generative AI on the ideation phase of jewelry design, especially in depth rather than breadth, and in the shape factor at the technical level such as detailization and unexpected composition. Leveraging AI image generators has shifted the designer’s focus from technical tasks to strategic decisions related to visual appeal, cognitive engagement, and emotional resonance. Furthermore, the challenges inherent in human–AI collaboration have been revealed, stemming from communication difficulties and the risk of fixating on specific details to stylistic constraints. Based on data analysis, a novel hybrid model regarding human–AI co-creation on cultural translation in jewelry design is proposed. Overall, this current study offers a valuable reference point to future research in terms of examining the effect of emerging technologies on cultural translation in creative fields. Full article
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16 pages, 2035 KiB  
Article
An Application of Quality Function Deployment to Explore a Product Design Concept—A Case Study of a Triple-Effect Green Energy Generator for the Taiwan Environment
by Shuo-Fang Liu, Yu-Shan Wei, Hong-Kai Guo and An-Yu Su
Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16830; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416830 - 14 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1853
Abstract
Taiwan has been actively promoting renewable energy technologies and applications to achieve sustainable development goals, aiming to increase the share of renewable energy in the domestic electricity structure. Among them, solar energy and wind energy have been developed and matured, especially solar water [...] Read more.
Taiwan has been actively promoting renewable energy technologies and applications to achieve sustainable development goals, aiming to increase the share of renewable energy in the domestic electricity structure. Among them, solar energy and wind energy have been developed and matured, especially solar water heaters, which have been popularized in people’s homes. This study proposes a triple-effect green energy generator, which is an innovative concept of combining a solar water heater with a wind turbine and thermoelectric devices, which have been gradually emphasized in recent years. Therefore, quality function deployment (QFD) was used to investigate the customer requirements and engineering measures of the product, and the results show that the product has leakage protection, is waterproof and rustproof, and does not affect health; furthermore, the product is resistant to high temperature and heavy rain, has a stable base, is suitable for most residential conditions, has 24 h operation, and has a remarkable power generation effect. Electricity can be used for general household appliances, which are the most important customer needs, and small wind turbines, energy management systems, and exterior materials are the three most important engineering initiatives to be emphasized. Although this study only analyzes preliminary design concepts, the results can provide references for related or similar product development strategies and contribute to the progress of Taiwan’s sustainable development goals. Full article
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18 pages, 7702 KiB  
Article
Design Ritual into Modern Product: A Case Study of Chinese Bronze Ware
by Jun Wu, Wenzhe Luo, Jiaru Chen, Rungtai Lin and Yanru Lyu
Sustainability 2023, 15(17), 12747; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151712747 - 23 Aug 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2864
Abstract
Bronze wares make up some of the most important bronze artifacts in ancient China’s Xia, Shang and Western Zhou dynasties. They carry rich historical, cultural and artistic information. In order to enable modern people to reflect on the ancient through products, an important [...] Read more.
Bronze wares make up some of the most important bronze artifacts in ancient China’s Xia, Shang and Western Zhou dynasties. They carry rich historical, cultural and artistic information. In order to enable modern people to reflect on the ancient through products, an important research topic that must be considered is how to carry out innovative designs with bronze ware and how to add value to the development of cultural creative industries so as to promote sustainable cultural development. This study puts forward a research framework for the innovative design of bronze ware. Based on analysis of relevant cases, such as a purple copper antique wine vessel, the “Qing Niao” (“Blue Bird”) asking love wine cup and the HIBIKI ware wine glass, the study summarizes the innovative design strategy of modern transformation design of bronze ware. From the perspectives of functional attributes, cultural symbols, cultural identity and emotional resonance, the study finally proposes three design ideas: antiqued design, simplified design and reconstructed design. The study presents a research model which still needs to be verified in future studies. We hope that the model can integrate the principles of sustainability into the modern transformation design of cultural relics. Full article
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22 pages, 37242 KiB  
Article
Designing “Forest” into Daily Lives for Sustainability: A Case Study of Taiwanese Wooden Furniture Design
by Yikang Sun, Ching-Chiuan Yen and Tien-Li Chen
Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7311; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097311 - 27 Apr 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2871
Abstract
Taiwan’s forest resources are abundant, diverse, and of high quality. However, Taiwan’s self-sufficiency rate for timber is only 1.2%. How to build Taiwan’s local wooden furniture brand to improve quality of life and achieve sustainable development is worth considering. This study adopted a [...] Read more.
Taiwan’s forest resources are abundant, diverse, and of high quality. However, Taiwan’s self-sufficiency rate for timber is only 1.2%. How to build Taiwan’s local wooden furniture brand to improve quality of life and achieve sustainable development is worth considering. This study adopted a qualitative research method using Taiwan’s local carbon-negative furniture brand “Forest in Living” as a case study. We used communication theory to construct a conceptual model that was then used to analyze the design and promotion of furniture. Carbon-negative furniture makes people feel like they are living and breathing deep in the forest, which is one of the best ways to reduce one’s carbon footprint. The Forest in Living furniture is full of Taiwanese characteristics and firmly captures the country’s foundation and soul. The designers have great respect for wood and strong control over the characteristics of the material, and the furniture has unique characteristics and rich content. In the future, we will further study the findings of this paper by inviting consumers to express their views on the design concepts and finished products of this type of furniture, which will be used to examine whether the design concepts can be recognized by consumers. Full article
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19 pages, 3200 KiB  
Article
Gamification of Culture: A Strategy for Cultural Preservation and Local Sustainable Development
by Chi-Hua Wu, Yu-Lin Chao, Jia-Ting Xiong and Ding-Bang Luh
Sustainability 2023, 15(1), 650; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15010650 - 30 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5730
Abstract
In the dual context of the cultural economy and the creative economy, culture is considered a unique source of competitiveness, making culture preservation a vital issue for peripheral areas. In this paper, it is argued that gamification is a valuable strategy for developing [...] Read more.
In the dual context of the cultural economy and the creative economy, culture is considered a unique source of competitiveness, making culture preservation a vital issue for peripheral areas. In this paper, it is argued that gamification is a valuable strategy for developing cross-cultural designs. The unique advantages of games in cultural preservation and promotion for peripheral areas with limited institutional resources are further articulated. To illustrate this, a set of design principles was proposed and the distinctive boat-based (Tanka) culture in southern China was taken as an example. A case study was conducted based on document analysis of the history of the Tanka culture and field research on the Tanka settlements in the Humen New Bay area, showing the development process and thus demonstrating the possibility of promoting the preservation and sustainable development of culture in peripheral areas through gamification. After testing the proposed game, some adjustments were suggested. However, participants generally agreed that they learned some Tanka customs through the gameplay, indicating the effectiveness of the game in Tanka culture preservation. This research thus contributes to both theory and practice by providing theoretical background and early practice. Full article
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Review

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28 pages, 4437 KiB  
Review
Analyses of Sustainable Development of Cultural and Creative Parks: A Pilot Study Based on the Approach of CiteSpace Knowledge Mapping
by Yuheng Tao and Po-Hsien Lin
Sustainability 2023, 15(13), 10489; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310489 - 3 Jul 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3377
Abstract
The rapid expansion of the cultural industry and the escalating demand for innovation have led to a growing attention on the sustainable development of cultural and creative parks. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review and prospectus of the literature on the [...] Read more.
The rapid expansion of the cultural industry and the escalating demand for innovation have led to a growing attention on the sustainable development of cultural and creative parks. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review and prospectus of the literature on the sustainable development of these parks using CiteSpace knowledge mapping. We analyzed 662 publications from 2012 to 2023 in the Web of Science database using bibliometric methods, such as descriptive statistical analysis, network analysis, and co-citation analysis. Our findings indicate that research hotspots in the sustainable development of cultural and creative parks focus on cultural ecosystems, environmental conservation, cultural landscapes, creative tourism, park management, and urban renewal. Three primary research themes emerged: ecological service systems, assessment models, and multidimensional value. We propose five future prospects: (1) diversifying sustainable development strategies; (2) coordinating development with urban, regional, and global sustainable development goals; (3) enhancing interdisciplinary research; (4) deepening stakeholder participation; and (5) improving the evaluation index system for sustainable development. This study offers a systematic guiding framework for constructing multidimensional value for the sustainable development of cultural and creative parks, providing valuable insights for future theoretical and practical research. Full article
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