Semantic Innovation as Design Strategy for Sustainability and Ergonomics – A Case Study

This study deploys the framework of architectural innovation (Henderson and Clark 1990), demonstrating that a design-driven strategy leverages incremental and radical innovation through a system of core design concepts. The presented case study of an Italian high-end kitchen producer, Valcucine, is particularly interesting due to its track of innovation in sustainable and ergonomic systems with high aesthetic quality. Findings reveal how meanings are encapsulated in the core design concepts and explored in the strategy of technological innovation ­­­– from architectural to modular, radical to incremental. The findings also support previous studies arguing that semantics in design-driven industries are nested into technological innovation.