[ 彩材拆拆 x UNWRAP CMF ]
Ch17. Unwrapping CMF Design on Material Driven Design
Ch17. 拆招CMF設計談材料驅動設計

^{CMF is a specialized area within industrial design that focuses on the development of products‘ color, material, and finish. Unwrap CMF shares bite-sized stories with digestible contents for anyone and everyone, inspiring curious minds about CMF Design. Enjoy learning? Use the mentioned terminologies to kick-start your research journey. Messages are always welcome! LinkedIn | Instagram | Email ✉️}

When speaking of CMF design, many people would focus on the first letter, which is color. When I first stepped into the field, I also thought that CMF should start with color: after deciding on the color, the next step is to explore the applicable materials and processes. However, a speech in 2013 inspired a reverse direction of design thinking, and that is “Material-Driven Design”. _{(中文請見下方)}

I was lucky to join a speech by Ms. Grace Boicel in 2013 at a Shanghai design conference, who was leading the CMD team at Nokia (short for Colour & Material Design).

As Grace shared, Nokia used double-shot injection on the latest Asha 500 series, playing with the contrast between solid and transparent plastic to present the layering look and feel.

“The transparent material of polycarbonate is very strong but has the great ability for internal transmission of light, nearly the same capacity as glass. This means it is a great material to make colours vivid and strong since colour always is dependent on light. It is critical to select the right material and finish because that has a huge impact on the colour. This is why you can’t look at a colour in isolation of the material and finish.”

– Grace Boicel, Creative Director at Boicel Design.

Later, the design team introduced edge-glow semi-transparent plastic, which comes with fluorescent glowing around the sharp edges. To bring out the full potential of edge-glow plastic, double-shot injection was used with a neon palette for the portfolio. This is what Grace refers to as “Material-Driven Design”, starting from the edge-glow material, and then dive into form factor, manufacturing process, and the choice of colors.

This design thinking has further expanded my CMF vision. I was also fortunate enough to join Nokia in 2014 and work closely with many talented designers.

Lastly, carbon fiber is another example of material-driven design: because of its strength and light-weighted material properties, it is widely used in various industries, especially the ones with critical demands in lightweight. Ultimately, the pattern of carbon fiber became a visual element, where carbon-fiber-like patterns started to appear in the market, on top of its root in material-driven initiative.

^{CMF全稱為Color Material and Finishing，屬於工業設計旗下專注於產品色彩、材質、及表面處理工藝的關鍵一環。UNWRAP CMF 彩材拆拆圍繞著這個主題，以淺而易懂的小故事拆解CMF設計的日常。CMF學無止盡，善用CMF關鍵字繼續網上鑽研。討論交流請來信至 LinkedIn | Instagram | Email ✉️}

談到CMF設計，許多人會把重點聚焦於第一個字母，也就是色彩（color）。當我一開始踏入這個領域時，也曾認為CMF理應先從色彩開始：決定好顏色之後，下一步再研究可以將之實現的材料和工藝。然而，一場2013的講座啟發了另一種反向出發的設計思維 —— 材料驅動設計（material-driven design）。

在一次2013年末的上海設計講座，很幸遇的聆聽了彼時帶領諾基亞CMF設計團隊的Grace Boicel女士的演講（諾基亞稱之為CMD團隊，Colour & Material Design的縮寫）。

Grace分享道：諾基亞曾在Asha 500系列上運用雙料注塑工藝（double-shot injection，亦稱雙色注塑），利用實色和透明素材的差異呈現光影與色彩交織的通透質感。

「聚碳酸酯的透明材料非常堅固，並具有很強的透光效果，幾乎與玻璃相同。這意味著它是一種可以使色彩變得更為生動的材料，因為顏色的呈現依賴於光。選擇正確的材料和表面處理至關重要，因為這會對顏色產生巨大影響。這就是為什麼不能撇開材料及表面處理，而單單只注意顏色本體的原因。」

– Grace Boicel, Creative Director at Boicel Design.

再後來，諾基亞的設計團隊導入了邊緣發光（edge-glow）的半透明素材，平整的邊緣自帶螢光。為了發揮其邊緣發光的特色，因此運用了雙料注塑的工藝，以及螢光色彩的年度色盤。這也就是Grace所指的「材料驅動設計」，從邊緣發光的材料為起點，再推導出適合的外觀造型、製造工藝、運用色盤。

這種不同以往的反向思維進一步拓展了我的CMF眼界，也有幸在2014年加入了諾基亞的CMF設計團隊，與許多優秀的設計前輩共事學習。

另外，廣為人知的碳纖維也是材料驅動設計的案例：因其強韌及極輕的材料屬性而被各產業廣泛運用，諸如有減輕需求的球拍、自行車等產品。最終，甚而其紋理也變成一種視覺元素，市面上也開始出現「仿碳纖維」的模擬視覺的效果，在其材料驅動的初衷之外又增加了另一種註解?