12. Style Synthesis Based on Strategic Styling Decision

This research proposes a method to synthesize car designs based on strategic styling positioning (product appearance similarities among product generations, portfolios and competitors). Automobile manufacturers strategically upgrade new designs similarly or differently from the designs of previous generations, both those within product portfolio, and those from competitors. Design similarity is a critical element of the design upgrading process, and design upgrade strategies vary depending on the automobile manufacturer. Some car brands maintain high similarities with their previous car designs, while others change the designs of new cars. Thus, this paper investigates ways of implementing design similarity to synthesize styles that reflect the particular styling strategy. The implementation of design similarity for generating design alternatives will help to derive two major contributions: first, to provide better understanding of the function of visual reference, and second, designers can strategically upgrade new generations of car designs while maintaining (or changing) a specific style.