本研究縱觀設計史的發展，以簡樸設計的傳統當作探討極簡設計的立基和發展脈絡的主軸。研究方 法採用文獻探討與紮根理論為主，剖析令人容易聯想到極簡設計的作品，尤以代表性設計師的理念與其 座椅設計為主要範例，另外，亦參考極簡藝術的美學觀和極簡建築的表現，意圖從極簡設計的形式表徵 來檢視極簡主義的發展趨向。研究中除了歸納6 項極簡設計廣義的形式表徵之外（簡約的幾何形體、系 統規律的構成、材質的展現、原型的引用、貼心的機能、極致的技術），亦介紹和比較了代表性極簡設 計師和其作品的特色。借重符號學和知覺的觀點，解釋極簡設計多元發展的趨勢，認為極簡設計的表現 內涵，起於著重個人的詮釋（象徵符號），走向應用下意識集體共同的記憶與圖像（原型圖像），再往 潛意識行為所能引發的構想發展（指示符號）。最後歸結，極簡設計的理念是對美學、認知和價值層面 所做的「反省」、「刪減」與「回歸」，反省產品自身的角色與價值，刪除過多的歷史風格或個人的詮 釋，回歸到純粹的知覺和美學感受。

From the design historical point of view, this research sees the tradition of the ideal of simplicity as the base of minimalism and developing path. It analyzes many identical minimal designs, particularly focusing on the works of representative designers and their concepts. It also refers to the aesthetics of minimalist art and characters of minimalist architecture. By taking literature survey and grounded theory as the research methods, it tries to examine the trend of minimalist by classifying the features of the minimalist design. Not only does this study sum up six typical characters of minimalist designs - simple geometric form, systematic layout, the expression of material quality, use of archetypal images, more user-friendly functionality, and technological challenges, but it also compares the unique performance of the minimalist designers and their works. The research borrows semiotic and perceptive viewpoints to explain the tendencies of minimalist designs and their diversities, and see minimalism begins with stressing personal interpretations by symbolic sign, through to common subconscious mental memory and images by iconic sign, finally towards the ideas of indexical sign brought out by unconscious behaviors. Finally, we see the ideal of minimal design is to self-questioning, reduction, and recurrence in the aspects of aesthetics, cognition, and value, involving questions on the product’s roles and values, deletion of unnecessary historical styles or personal representation on design, and return to the purely intuitional perception and aesthetic experience.