MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AS A TOOL IN DESIGN

Student research work begins with a description of the object of study. The parametric, functional, semantic description of the object will always be associated with its elements, structure, construction, i.e. morphology. The researcher receives a set of variants of interchangeable elements for a certain characteristic, and this set can be systematised in the form of a morphological model, which in the field of design research can be called a «combinatorial matrix». The purpose of the article is to confirm the universality of morphological analysis by applying the method not only to the analysis of the physical nature of an object but also to the symbolic and sign nature, i.e. in the field of semiotic research.

In the present study, morphological analysis is applied to the symbolic and sign nature of an object. The tables 1) a morphological model based on meanings and sets of signs that represent these meanings and 2) an example of using a morphological model / combinatorics matrix in design are complied. Designing on the basis of a morphological model reflects the interconnection of analysis and synthesis methods.

Morphological analysis is a generalised concept in relation to specialised methods, such as formal analysis in art or code articulation in semiotic research. A morphological model is a tool in design, helps generate ideas, and allows to create new combinations with both a maximum set of elements and a minimum set. Morphological analysis is advisable to use when the object or phenomenon under study has numerous variants, alternatives, which, accordingly, will also be created by combinations of its elements/attributes. Morphological analysis is related to the field of metadesign as a method that helps to find innovative solutions, for example, it is possible to experiment with the rules of synthesis/syntax of combinations of elements. The versatility of morphological analysis lies not only in the fact that: 1) it is used in various fields of knowledge, human activity, 2) its result is a morphological model, which is a tool for synthesis/combination of elements, but also 3) in the nature of the characteristics of the studied/designed object, which can be very different both mentally imaginary (symbolic and sign nature) and physical (parameters, functions of the object).