Adding design value to familiar product with humour

Abstract

Most Thai products are mass produced and mainly designed to meet the purposes of use resulting in lack of product improvement; consequently, many cannot compete favorably with their imported counterparts which have similar specifications but are of higher quality. This research, then, aimed to seek unique design approaches in which a variety of Thai cultural aspects were combined with modern design to add value to Thai daily used products. According to research on global products, humour was one of the most powerful design ingredients with the potential to create a rich experience in the use of products. Due to Thai people’ smiles and sense of humour and the recession of Thai novel publishing business, this research designed a Thai novel copy based on theories of humour. The copy embraced social satire illustrations hidden at the back cover. The design was found to add value to the novel copy. Not only could the design provide the reader with entertainment, it could also challenge the reader to experience discovery, plays, and creative activities