دانشگاه اصفهان فنون ادبی 20088027 18 3 2026 09 23 From Poetry to Design: Interpreting Conceptual Metaphors in Persian Poetry in the Creation of Meaning and Form in Industrial Design از شعر تا طراحی؛ خوانش استعاره‌های مفهومی شعر فارسی در آفرینش معنا و فرم در طراحی صنعتی 99 120 30516 10.22108/liar.2026.148335.2570 FA سمیه رحیمی مدرس گروه زبان و ادبیات فارسی، دانشکده ادبیات و علوم انسانی، دانشگاه اصفهان، اصفهان، ایران رضا پارسا دانش آموخته کارشناسی ارشد طراحی صنعتی، دانشگاه معماری و هنر پارس، تهران، ایران. Journal Article 2026 02 15 Metaphor, from the perspective of Lakoff and Johnson's conceptual metaphor theory, is not a literary device but a fundamental mechanism in human cognition and understanding of the world. Persian poetry represents one of the richest contexts for the emergence of this conceptual system, where complex ideas such as love, knowledge, and existence are represented through metaphors. Contemporary industrial design has moved beyond mere functionalism toward meaningful, emotional, and cultural design, recreating aesthetic and conceptual experiences through form, texture, and user interaction. This study, employing a descriptive-analytical method and an interdisciplinary approach, seeks to answer how conceptual metaphors of Persian poetry can serve as inspirational patterns for creating meaning in industrial design. The findings demonstrate that conceptual metaphors of Persian poetry, beyond their literary function, can be transformed into conceptual models in industrial design and can play a role in shaping form, user experience, and cultural identity of products. Accordingly, re-reading the metaphorical system of Persian poetry can provide a theoretical basis for designing identity-oriented, meaningful, and culture-centered products, creating an effective link between literature, culture, and industrial design.<br /><strong> </strong><br /><strong>Keywords</strong>: Conceptual Metaphor, Persian Poetry, Industrial Design, Meaning, Cultural Design.<br /><strong> </strong><br /><strong>Introduction</strong><br />The theory of conceptual metaphor, introduced by George Lakoff and Mark Johnson (1980), posits that metaphor is not merely a linguistic phenomenon but a cognitive mechanism through which humans understand abstract concepts by mapping them onto concrete, sensory experiences (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980, p. 3). In this framework, a conceptual metaphor is defined as "a systematic mapping between elements of a concept domain based on human objective experience (source domain) onto another domain that is usually more abstract (target domain)" (Lakoff, 1993, p. 43). Persian poetry, particularly in its classical periods, serves not only as a realm for poetic imagination but also as a medium for cultural and intellectual representation. Within this context, metaphor operates beyond a rhetorical device or verbal ornamentation, functioning as a cognitive and cultural mechanism that enables abstract concepts to be conveyed to the audience through tangible experiences. In the field of industrial design, particularly over the past two decades, approaches emphasizing meaning, experience, and emotion have emerged. Theories such as emotional design (Norman, 2004), meaningful design (Krippendorff, 2006), and cultural design (Margolin, 1995) maintain that a product is not merely a functional object but a carrier of human signs, values, and emotions. Despite this conceptual overlap, few Persian-language studies have addressed the link between the metaphorical system of Persian poetry and industrial design. Literary research has often remained limited to rhetorical and aesthetic analysis of poetic language, while industrial design studies have mostly examined metaphor from the perspective of perceptual psychology and product design (Hekkert & Cila, 2015). The research problem is formulated as an inquiry into how the conceptual metaphor system of Persian poetry can serve as an inspirational model for creating meaning and form in industrial design. This study hypothesizes that Persian poetic metaphors possess systematic structural features that can be translated into design elements, including form, material, user experience, and cultural meaning.<br /><strong> </strong><br /><strong>Materials and Methods </strong><br />This study employs a descriptive-analytical method with an interdisciplinary approach, combining literary analysis and industrial design. The research consists of three main stages. First, literary data collection: key metaphors were extracted from classical Persian poetry, including works by Hafez, Rumi, Saadi, and Sohrab Sepehri. Second, metaphorical system analysis: using Lakoff and Johnson's (1980) conceptual metaphor theory, each extracted metaphor was analyzed to identify its source domain (concrete, sensory experience) and target domain (abstract concept). Third, integration with industrial design principles: a comparative analytical method was used to map conceptual metaphors onto design elements. Each metaphor was analyzed for its potential to be translated into form, material, user experience, and cultural meaning in industrial products.<br />Metaphors were categorized into five conceptual groups: natural/environmental, movement/dynamics, reflective/epistemic, emotional/psychological, and cultural/symbolic. For each category, conceptual design proposals were developed demonstrating how the metaphor could inform product aesthetics, function, and user interaction. This framework provides a systematic approach to transferring literary-cultural knowledge into industrial design practice.<br /><strong> </strong><br /><strong>Research Findings</strong><br />The analysis revealed that Persian poetry's conceptual metaphors possess significant potential for translation into industrial design across five categories. Natural and environmental metaphors, such as "love is light" and "love is fire" (Hafez), can be expressed through transparent materials, gradual illumination, and forms suggesting emergence and radiance. The metaphor "truth is water" (Rumi) translates into dynamic, flowing forms and interactive products that require user participation. Movement and dynamics metaphors, including "the path of continuous effort" (Hafez) and "seeing differently" (Sepehri), inform designs with guiding lines, progressive disclosure, and adaptable configurations that allow multiple perspectives. Reflective and epistemic metaphors, such as "become a mirror" (Saeb) and "shadow as indirect presence" (Hafez), inspire reflective surfaces and products that respond to user presence, creating feedback loops and personal interaction. Cultural and symbolic metaphors, including "flower and wine as cultural perfection" (Hafez) and "evolution from stone to human" (Rumi), support designs that convey social status, educational progression, and cultural identity through organic forms, quality materials, and multi-stage experiences. Emotional and psychological metaphors, such as "the heart as a path to love" (Neshat Esfahani) and "love as endless search" (Rumi), enable gradual, discovery-based interactions and platforms that encourage sustained engagement. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that Persian poetic metaphors are not merely literary ornaments but actionable cognitive structures for creating meaningful, culturally-grounded industrial design.<br /><strong> </strong><br /><strong>Discussion of Results and Conclusions</strong><br />This study demonstrates that Persian poetry's conceptual metaphors constitute a rich, systematic resource for industrial design, extending far beyond decorative or superficial inspiration. The findings confirm the central hypothesis: metaphors structuring Persian poetic thought can be systematically mapped onto design elements—form, material, user experience, and cultural meaning. The five-category framework provides designers with a practical taxonomy for translating abstract literary concepts into tangible product attributes. This integration offers several significant contributions. First, it validates cognitive linguistics theories (Lakoff & Johnson, 1980; Kövecses, 2010) in a novel applied context, showing that conceptual metaphors operate across verbal and material domains. Second, it addresses the interdisciplinary gap identified in the literature review, where literary studies and design research have remained largely separate (Hekkert & Cila, 2015). Third, it provides a culturally-grounded alternative to universalist design approaches, enabling products that reflect Iranian cultural identity while maintaining contemporary functionality. However, this study has limitations.<br />The design proposals remain conceptual and require empirical testing through user studies and prototype evaluations. Future research should develop measurable criteria for assessing how effectively metaphorical translations communicate intended meanings to diverse users. Additionally, expanding the corpus to include contemporary Persian poetry and other Iranian art forms could enrich the framework. In conclusion, re-reading Persian poetry's metaphorical system offers a theoretical and practical foundation for meaningful, identity-oriented design, transforming literary heritage into a living resource for innovation in industrial design. استعاره از منظر نظریه استعاره مفهومی لیکاف و جانسون نه آرایه‌ای ادبی بلکه سازوکاری بنیادی در نظام شناخت و درک انسان از جهان است. در این نظریه انسان از طریق شبکه‌ای از استعاره‌های مفهومی، مفاهیم انتزاعی را با توسل به تجربه‌های ملموس و حسی می‌فهمد و باز می‌سازد. با چنین رویکردی، شعر فارسی را می‌توان یکی از غنی‌ترین بسترهای بروز این نظام مفهومی دانست؛ بستری که در آن مفاهیم پیچیده‌ای چون عشق، معرفت و هستی در قالب استعاره‌ها بازنمایی می‌شوند. در سوی دیگر، طراحی صنعتی معاصر نیز در دهه‌های اخیر از سطح کارکردگرایی صرف فراتر رفته و به سوی طراحی معناگرا، احساسی و فرهنگی حرکت کرده است؛ رویکردی که به بازآفرینی تجربه‌های زیباشناختی و مفهومی از خلال فرم، بافت و تعامل کاربر می‌پردازد. این پژوهش با روش توصیفی‌تحلیلی و رویکردی میان‌رشته‌ای، در پی پاسخ به این پرسش است که استعاره‌های مفهومی شعر فارسی چگونه می‌توانند به الگوهایی الهام‌بخش برای آفرینش معنا در طراحی صنعتی تبدیل شوند. یافته‌های پژوهش نشان داد که استعاره‌های مفهومی شعر فارسی، افزون بر کارکرد ادبی، قابلیت تبدیل‌شدن به الگوهای مفهومی در طراحی صنعتی را دارند و می‌توانند در شکل‌دهی فرم، تجربه کاربر و هویت فرهنگی محصولات نقش‌آفرین باشند. بر این اساس، بازخوانی نظام استعاری شعر فارسی می‌تواند مبنایی نظری برای طراحی محصولاتی هویت‌مند، معناگرا و فرهنگ‌مدار فراهم آورد و زمینه پیوندی مؤثر میان ادبیات، فرهنگ و طراحی صنعتی را فراهم سازد؛ بدین‌سان، پیوند میان ادبیات و طراحی، نه صرفاً تلفیقی میان دو رشته، بلکه بازاندیشی در مفهوم خلاقیت در سنت ایرانی است. https://liar.ui.ac.ir/article_30516_99fa6cfa3afa032021cc2c48e1c2542e.pdf