Integrated design process of Chinese character furniture through regular script

This study proposes a design semiotics-driven, integrated innovation method for designing furniture based on Chinese regular script (Kaishu), aiming to overcome the fragmented and practice-detached approaches prevalent in current research. First, furniture-related words were collected, high-frequency terms were identified, and extensible semantic analysis was performed to select Chinese characters based on semantic flexibility. Second, the KJ method was applied to gather and analyze user needs, clarify their vector relationships, and construct a direct reachability matrix to derive a reachable matrix, resulting in structured user need analysis. User needs were then translated into functional and design requirements using Axiomatic Design (AD) theory. Third, design requirements (prioritized) were guided by shape grammar to reconstruct regular script symbols and finalize the reconstruction plan. Finally, iterative integration of product design elements achieved the commercialization of the reconstruction plan. The feasibility of this process was validated through the design example of the regular script “勤奮 (Diligence)” bookshelf, offering a novel method for expanding Chinese character furniture shapes.