Form is the shape, visual appearance or configuration of an object. The form of an object is the first interface that we perceive. Form gives meaning to an object. It provides an interpretation to the function of the object. It can arouse and fulfill desires. It shapes human interaction with the object.
Designers create forms by deliberately shaping data into information and then into the coherent argument that is the product. This argument is, according to Richard Buchanan, its "ability…to fully engage a human being in support of a particular activity."
Form should not be thought of as simply the physical or aesthetic properties of a product. It rather includes all aspects of an object's character and the values of the culture to which it belongs. Form is the manifestation of the object's usefulness, usability and desirability.
According to Philip Meggs, form gives a design its cohesive composition that gains order and clarity from the relationship between the elements.
Aim of the Course:
The course aims to first introduce students to design in nature and everyday life. Thereafter presentations were made on what can be called as characteristics of a good design. Further presentations explain how to generate emotive form and how to generate forms through abstractions. Studio assignments were given to the students through which they gained hands-on experience in form generation using these techniques.