On the expression skills of children's toy packaging design

Hu Guo, Yuan Enpei

(Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044)

Abstract: From Starting from analyzing the psychological characteristics of children's cognition of toy packaging, the important role played by packaging and decoration design on toy products is discussed. Through the expression skills of toy packaging and decoration design, it discusses how to design toy packaging and how to increase the visual impact of toy packaging design from the aspects of graphic use, color, personalized design, and interesting design.

This is of great significance to the future design of children's toy packaging.

Keywords: toys; packaging design; expression skills; psychology

CLC number: TB489; TS958. 2 Document identification code: A Article number: 1001-3563(2007) 03-0150-03

Representation Skill in Child Toy Packaging Design

HUGuo, YUAN En-pei

(ChongqingUniversity, Chongqing 400044, China)

Abstract: The important function of packaging decoration on child toy production was discussed begin-

ning from analysis of the cognition psychological characteristic of child to toy. The method of toy packaging

design and the way to increase visual impact were discussed from representation skil, l graph utilization, col-

or, personalized design, and interesting design.

Key words: toy; packaging design; representation skil;l psychology

With the development of the commodity economy, in the huge modern toy market, the

classification of toys is becoming more and more detailed, and a wide variety of toys are gathered on the shelves of shopping malls. on, dazzling people

. Toys with better packaging design will catch people's eyes first. On the contrary, toys with poor packaging design may not be noticed. Toy packaging is an important means to protect and promote toys. A successful toy packaging design should first be in line with children's aesthetic tendencies and children's psychological characteristics.

1 Psychological characteristics of children's cognition of toy packaging

Children's way of cognizing things mainly includes vision, touch, hearing, smell, taste, etc.

Several means, among which vision plays a considerable role and is also the most direct way for children to perceive things. The following will further elaborate on the characteristics of children's observation and cognition of things through their special perception of colors and graphics

characteristics [1].

1. 1 Children’s aesthetic tendency towards packaging colors

“Looking from a distance looks like color, looking up close looks like flowers”. Since ancient times, people have recognized that color has >The head start effect.

When people observe various objects in the outside world, the first thing that causes reaction

is color. It is the visual information symbol that is most sensitive to visual stimulation and responds fastest

among all elements of human vision. . According to research by psychologists: 2 to 3-year-old children like bright and bright colors, especially colors with obvious contrast, and some children are not interested in them. The preference for novel colors persists throughout childhood. Therefore, when designing for children of this age group, more colors with high brightness and purity should be used. Practice has proven that among 10 colors such as red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, brown, black, white, and gray, children prefer red, yellow, and green more than others. Prefer black, gray, and brown

colors. The difference in children's color preferences is not significant between the ages of 1 and 5, but after the age of 6

there are also gender differences. Men like yellow and blue the most, followed by red and green; women like red and yellow the most, followed by orange, white and blue. Girls who are full of

childishness love light colors, while boys think dark or stable colors are more suitable for them. According to Ding Xiuling's research on children's color perception, the results show that: 65-4-year-old children can feel the cold and warm properties of colors.

As age increases, the color sensitivity of 5 to 6-year-old children has reached 74 and

77, but for children in the entire preschool period, children generally prefer warm colors

Tune. Children have a very obvious innate intuitive sense of beauty since they are 4 years old, so they also have a better sense of color balance and harmony, with the percentage of children aged 4, 5, and 6 years old

Respectively, they are 78, 61, and 70. It is not difficult to see that 4-year-old children have stronger aesthetic feelings than 5- and 6-year-old children. In addition, children's aesthetic taste will change with age, from bright colors and strong contrast to coordination and softness. Therefore, the color contrast should be adjusted when designing for older children [2].

1. 2 Children’s ability to recognize toy packaging graphics

Children’s inner world is quite rich and exciting, and they have extraordinary imagination

, they are full of curiosity about everything. Even a piece of colorful color, a strange shape, or a curved line will make them stop for a long time and imagine. Research shows that children aged 6 to 7 generally have developed spatial perception. In terms of shape perception, they can generally identify squares, rectangles, circles, rhombuses, and triangles.

Angular shapes and so on. When children come into contact with graphics on the product itself or packaging, they always associate them with specific things. They often associate unfamiliar abstract graphics with concrete objects. Cognitive connection. If it is a familiar or familiar figure, they will immediately be fascinated for a period of time to observe and imagine its scene content [3].

2 Expression skills of children's toy packaging design

Children's thinking is in the infantile stage of human thinking, and its visual psychological characteristics are both

obviously different from adults, and also Different from teenagers, there are obvious differences even between various periods in childhood

. As a part of packaging design, children's toy packaging design

due to the particularity of its audience (children) - they have little life experience and low education level. Limitations will also permeate the preferences of parents, so there are problems that are different from other packaging designs. Therefore, in terms of performance skills,

it also has its unique side.

2. 1 The wonderful use of graphics

Long before the invention of writing, graphics were responsible for the function of information dissemination.

Later

Text and graphic culture gradually formed. They are both languages ??used by humans to transmit information and communicate.

But text culture is easily restricted by region and ethnicity, while graphic culture transcends

p>

National boundaries and language barriers make it a global language. Graphic language has the advantage of intuitive communication and easy communication of ideas. In addition, almost all human thoughts, feelings and concepts can be communicated through visual graphics. Therefore, With the advent of the information age, graphic language, as a global language, has received widespread attention from the international community. It has been widely used in human society and has penetrated into politics, Economy, culture and life

Various fields. Excellent graphic design can enable people to communicate and understand each other through visual

language without words; it can transcend regional restrictions, language barriers

and cultural barriers. communicate silently through differences to achieve the artistic effect of silent infection.

The graphic design in modern toy packaging mostly adopts cartoon graphic design. This type of

design is particularly popular with young toy customers, because cartoon graphics, as an alienated medium, have now become a means of connecting people and people, and people and nature. Bonding, bringing relaxation and joy to people, and cartoon images and graphics are more in line with children's psychological needs.

Millions of consumers around the world like the cartoon graphic "Snoopy", which was the protagonist of the American comic "Peanuts" at that time. It is named after him The named toys, boutiques,

electronic cards, playgrounds, etc. are still warmly welcomed. Snoopy's cartoons have been translated into 40 languages, published in 75 countries, and published in 2,600 newspapers around the world. "Peanuts" has dominated the fashion industry for more than half of the time. century, you can see the influence of cartoons in toy packaging and other products from it and Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Kitty Cat, Rascal Rabbit, etc. force. In cartoon graphics, human imagination is given free rein.

Compared with other graphic art forms, cartoon forms are easier to understand, more vivid,

interesting and bring happiness to people. Therefore, they are widely used in the packaging design of toys. ,

It is also the creative source of best-selling toy packaging. People often see that in toy packaging design pictures, cartoon lions are no longer scary, and are even more fragile than some small animals; although hippos look clumsy, they are The cartoon shape often makes it show some clever movements and so on. It can be said that cartoon shape is the mainstream of today's toy packaging design. It can have a visual impact on consumers and stimulate them to enjoy happy consumption of toys.

2. 2 Color rendering effect

The latest data shows that consumers’ perception of objects is first of all color, and then

form. Within the first 20 seconds of contact with the product, the person's color perception is 80 and the shape perception is

200, the color perception within 20s to 3 seconds is 60, and the color perception and shape perception within 5 minutes are

50, so color is the most important in product packaging. Children are innately sensitive to color. Children naturally like colorful butterflies, red dragonflies, little red riding hoods, floral clothes and other items. In packaging design, many products seek cheerfulness, pleasure and cleanliness in color

color. The impact of color on children's psychology is consistent.

Wonderful graphic design and bright picture packaging are important to children or adults.

The color of children's toy packaging also has its own rules to follow. The main color contrast should be strong

mostly primary colors. Try to avoid using low-brightness and low-purity colors. . In particular, colors with high brightness and warm colors are more suitable for expressing the bright colors that children are passionate about.

The hue of high purity

is relatively warm and the visual experience is more vivid, which naturally makes the picture cheerful and active,

with strong impact and appeal. In the packaging design of children's toys, whether it is in the same color or changes between different colors, the characteristic of jumping should be reflected.

Color design is very important for the screen decoration of toy packaging design, because the toy package

The decoration color is a commercial color, which can produce visual effects rich in toy characteristics

Fruit is not only one of the elements that constitute toy products, but also an important part of the overall beauty of toy packaging. Therefore, it is the central link in toy packaging design. The concept of toy packaging and decoration colors should mainly be based on the particularity of toy product colors and the principles of color composition, and at the same time, the psychological activity intentions of consumers should be grasped. Therefore, when handling the color of toy packaging and decoration, the following basic requirements must be considered: (1) It must be commercial, attractive to customers, and able to attract customers. attract people's attention to achieve the purpose of highlighting oneself among

similar products; (2) leaving a deep color impression on customers

which can make people have endless aftertaste and play a role in continuous repetition (3) It must be symbolic, so that customers can think of beautiful things and be willing to accept them, and have a strong desire to pursue them. In order to meet the above requirements, the color characteristics of toy packaging must be highly commercial and decorative.

2. 3 Unique personalized design

Personalization refers to the inherent characteristics or qualities of people, animals, and various products

tendency. Because toys are mainly for children to play with, children's unique psychological and physiological characteristics must be considered in toy design and toy packaging design. , highlighting the individuality of different types of toy packaging, and taking into account the scientificity, sense of the times, nationality, innovation and safety of packaging design, in order to make toys more attractive. strength and competitiveness. For example, Barbie, her collectible toys and limited edition toys

are specially designed for people to collect and display. They are all packed in display boxes and come with stands

and identification documents. Therefore, the packaging design is more particular, and the materials used and screen design

are very ingenious, such as As shown in the previous picture, it is full of elegance or elegance, reflecting the value of the collection

The play-type Barbie doll is designed for children to play in the dollhouse.

Her Packaging design generally adopts a window design, that is, the main exhibition surface is transparent and other exhibition surfaces are

opaque. However, some structural design and U-surface design are carried out inside the box to make the Barbie doll

The tools, utensils, toys, etc. used are embedded in these structures, echoing the picture and forming a perfect visual effect

.

2. 4 Interesting Innovation

The packaging design of most children's toys is based on fun, catching children

Children are active and attentive The characteristics of easy dispersion organically integrate fun into product packaging

design. In order for children to find pleasure directly in the packaging design of toys, the appearance and packaging of the product must be attractive enough. Children's toys

are obviously different from other products in terms of interesting design. Other products can adopt more than ten or more styles of compositions, but these styles may not be very effective when used on children's toy packaging. From children's self-entertainment paintings

it is not difficult to see that children like to fill the picture completely, leaving no space to graffiti various "bizarre" graphics

. Therefore, most children's toy packaging usually adopts the form of "full frame composition".

When the content of the picture is rich, attention should be paid to controlling the layering of the composition.

It must be primary and secondary, with many layers but not chaos, so that there will be a sense of three-dimensionality and rhythm.

The open design of children's toy packaging is also an effective way to increase the fun of the packaging.

The opening of the packaging is an effective bridge between the product and the user. The way the package is opened is the first important part that users perceive and experience

through vision and touch. The sealing device of the package not only preserves the product within the package, but also serves as a channel for consumers to access the product. People may refuse to buy simply because of small problems such as the package being difficult to tear and peel off or inconvenient to open and use.

On the contrary, children will also have a desire to buy because of the simplicity and fun of opening the packaging,

which ultimately leads to purchasing behavior. Furthermore, the opening design can allow children to get an intuitive feeling of the toy product from the opening, strengthen their recognition of the product itself, and directly arouse their appreciation of the toy. own interest.

The author also added an open design to the design of the toy car. Due to the exquisite design and fine workmanship of the product itself, the author designed the packaging of one of the small racing series to be a hanging open type, and placed the toy racing car directly into a transparent display model

In this model, child consumers can obtain intuitive information about the shape, color, and size of the toy car directly from the model, without having to guess about the product itself through illustrations.

3 The development trend of children’s toy packaging design in the future

According to expert predictions: with the increase in exposure to information, the information that children in the future will have to deal with is that of today’s children. 4 times. This can’t help but surprise people in the design industry.

In particular, how will domestic children face this era of information and technology?

All sectors of society should think about this practical issue before us. If we want our nation to not lag behind in becoming a powerful country in the 21st century, it is a wise move to start from the perspective of children. This can also be said to be part of our strategy of "rejuvenating the country through science and education" foundation. As a designer, it is my duty to give children the most thorough consideration.

3. 1 Characteristics that children’s toy packaging should have in the future

Brand characteristics: Building a brand accepted at home and abroad can be said to be a long-term and complex process

. If companies want to create an internationally recognized brand, sometimes they need 10 years or even longer, and completely small problems will appear in the first 10 years after the product is put on the market. Profitable situation, but in order to do well, grow bigger, and make this cake more beautiful, you need to have a firm brand awareness and marketing strategy.

It can be seen that there are so many children's product manufacturers in China whose products are still unknown. It is true that establishing a brand is a combination of many factors, but the packaging design of children's products in the 21st century must be forward-looking, for the sake of the nation, for the children, and for our children. Products can cross national borders, and brand awareness

is imperative.

Cultural characteristics: Excellent children's toy product packaging design should attract children

while allowing them to increase their knowledge, develop their intelligence, and inspire them to understand unknown things and understand

The external world and oneself [4-5]. The knowledge mentioned here refers to the cultural content of children's toy product packaging design itself. Different nationalities have different cultural connotations and implications. When paying full attention to children At the same time, as a product for children of the Chinese nation, its own cultural characteristics must be taken into consideration. A nation has its own unique culture or national art heritage, and it does not make sense to blindly copy and produce foreign children's product packaging.

Ms. Jin Yuxi, who works in the cosmetics industry, has provided a good example for the packaging of children's toys. She was able to launch the "Yuxi Doll" to promote her own brand in the Chinese market. The originally traditional cheongsam costume became a "children's doll with

Chinese characteristics" through her design. This shows that as a designer, while pursuing "change",

How important it is to add cultural characteristics appropriately.

Regional characteristics: Different countries and regions have different habits and characteristics. Therefore,

regional characteristics cannot be ignored. As a designer, you can also design corresponding packaging according to different regional characteristics

.

Age characteristics: As we all know, the psychological characteristics, physiological characteristics, cognitive characteristics, and intellectual development characteristics of children of different ages are different. Therefore, children in the 21st century

Toy product packaging design should develop corresponding products according to children of different ages,

so that the products can meet the physiological and psychological development needs of children of a certain age. They are more purposeful

and adaptable to train their hands, mouth, purpose coordination, body control

ability, group collaboration ability, logical thinking ability, etc.

3. 2 The future packaging design of children’s toys should follow the path of sustainable development

The 21st century should be a green and environmentally friendly era. Look at what is hidden behind people’s backs

With the development of society and the progress of mankind, more cultural waste, economic waste, social waste, industrial waste, etc. will not be allowed to appear.

Therefore, the packaging design and development of children's toy products in the 21st century should follow the path of sustainable

design.

The road to sustainable design is reflected in three aspects:

(1) Use recyclable and degradable materials as much as possible; (2)

Improve the service life of the product. The service life of children's toy product packaging design is often not very long. Therefore, how to improve the service life is more meaningful. For example, the design of intelligent upgrade programs, modular modules, etc. will greatly extend the service life of products, thereby saving more energy and materials for the country and society; (3)

Establish corresponding children's product packaging maintenance and recycling organizations. For children's products that are in use, the repair station will be responsible for after-sales services such as product maintenance, refurbishment or maintenance, etc., and will recycle the discarded packaging of children's products, which is undoubtedly also Improved the service life of products and

packaging.

4 Conclusion

In summary, the packaging and decoration design of toy products should start from understanding the characteristics of the product and the psychological needs of children's consumer groups. , based on the theme and characteristics of the toy

and taking into account all aspects of factors to carry out humanized, personalized and serialized design.

In the design process, we must also fully consider the issue of environmental protection and design product packaging that is both

loved by consumers and has a "green" effect. The development of the times has put forward higher requirements for designers: they must break through the model of blindly borrowing and imitating foreign designs, and target our own toy product design market, and step out of the

Packaging design path with its own characteristics.

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