Design–theoretical and empirical, A research project inn design theory including the devolpment of a prototype for a symbol system that represents tastes of wine

Sammanfattning: The thesis presents a research project in graphic design including the development of a symbol system that represents tastes of wine as consumer information. The thesis has three main chapters; design, theory and empirical foundation.The design chapter clarifies the design concept and its evolution from a traditional standpoint to its present state in the international area of design research as design theory.The theoretical chapter presents a map of concepts in order to explain problems and practical solutions in the design process. The concepts are based on the philosophical ideas of Ernst Cassirer and Ludwig Wittgenstein, and concern interpretation of sense information, symbols and signs, picture and image. The design of the symbol system concerns the experience of taste, as a translation from words to pictures.The empirical chapter comprehends both a description of the design process and of the empirical research. The method used is prototyping with a reference group of branch experts. The empirical research has evaluated the possibility to interpret, learn, use and understand the symbol system. The method used is a survey with questionnaires to a group of wine consumers