On the characteristics and causes of Japanese pack

On the characteristics and causes of Japanese packaging design

the author has paid attention to and appreciated Japanese packaging design for a long time. In the summer of 2005, the author had the opportunity to go to Japan with the delegation of China Academy of fine arts to make a zero distance contact with the product packaging in its market

I. first impression of packaging design in Japanese market

1 Foreign and Japanese packaging show their own style

this trip passes through Tokyo, Fuji palace, Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Nagoya and Aichi WorldExpo, etc. you can see flowers all the way, come and go in a hurry, and walk through small shops, souvenir stores, specialty stores, supermarkets, Department stores, large shopping malls. The first impression is that Japan is a society where supply exceeds demand, with a wide range of goods. From the perspective of packaging design, its style can be roughly divided into two categories, one is modern western style, the other is traditional harmony style; Although it can also be divided into comprehensive forms, the two types of harmony and foreign are still the main types. Just like the girls on the streets of Japan, they have the image of colorful hair and exaggerated and open fashion clothes, as well as the image of elegance and modesty in traditional kimonos and clogs. These two styles echo each other and attract attention, making people feel that tradition and modernity, simplicity and fashion coexist harmoniously

foreign style packaging shows the consumption mentality of the mainstream people in today's urban life in Japan, which pursues fashion, openness and respect for the foreign; And the harmony packaging reflects the Japanese attachment to the spirit of their national traditional culture

the reason why Japanese today's and packaging are concerned by the author is first of all that designers not only carry forward national style characteristics, but also strive to make their works contemporary, so as to produce a new fashion style; Secondly, because its oriental spirit is inextricably linked with China's traditional culture. Today's Japan has added Japan's unique folk 7. Speed regulation range: 1 ⑵ 00mm/min ethnic cultural spirit on the basis of traditional Chinese culture, and on this basis, it has found the flavor of Japanese and the context of modern fashion, and walked out of a new road of Japanese packaging art style that people admire

2. Traditional new materials, exquisite workmanship and careful design

the sense of quality of Japanese product packaging leaves a deep impression. From the surface of the package, we can see not only the depth of graphic creation and the use of color, but also the intention of the designer to strive for perfection in material selection and technology. Graphics and colors mainly revolve around traditional aesthetics and national culture, while the selection of materials starts from nature and makes it practical and beautiful through modern technology, forming a packaging image with obvious Japanese characteristics, which fully shows the wisdom of Japanese people who are known for their rigorous work in packaging art

this talent is also reflected in the following aspects: first, the material industry, processing technology and its systems related to packaging have developed quite well, such as the modernization of traditional handicrafts such as paper, lacquer and woodwork; Second, the relevant research on graphic design and methods, the deepening research on traditional handicrafts and business intelligence work have been done more solidly. All these provide a good foundation for design and creation. Therefore, it is difficult to find shoddy things in Japanese stores, from the smallest toothpicks to daily necessities; From a single individual product to a series of product combinations; From machine production to hand-made, every piece is exquisite and fascinating

3. The concept of environmental protection is embodied everywhere in packaging design and production

Japan is an island country with a small land and a large population. The internal resource crisis has made them form a strong awareness of environmental protection. This awareness of environmental protection is the result of the awareness of the government and its relevant organizations, education and the public. It is reflected in all aspects of daily life of Japanese people. Similarly, in packaging design, designers consciously consider environmental factors, which has become their normal way of thinking. In the selection and development of materials in design practice, materials that do not pollute the environment and are easy to recycle and reuse are the first choice

II. Interpret the background and causes of design

1 The in-depth study of morphology, traditional graphics and perceptual engineering in Japanese design education is the key

through the observation of phenomena, we can trace the background of the emergence and Realization of this design. Japanese scholars have made in-depth research on the basic education of modern design, and gradually formed their own theories and methods. They have made in-depth research and interpretation of the Western constructivist modeling thought and chromatics, and built the so-called three component education system with the unique subdivision concept of Japan; At the same time, they did not give up the research and interpretation of the Oriental tradition on the pattern of floor system and wall materials, such as the research on the traditional pattern and processing technology with kimono clothing as the axis (such as grass and tree dyeing, tie dyeing, embroidery, hand painting, etc.). This research method of combining traditional pattern and morphological composition is bound to show a pattern of mutual reference and common development

in addition, with the increasingly fierce market competition, the consumer demand-oriented product development model has gradually become the mainstream. Therefore, the research on the so-called Kansei Engineering theoretical system is becoming more and more mature in Japan. It is essentially a concept and means of using engineering technology to explore the different sensory values and relationships between human senses and objects. In the field of product design, it quantitatively expresses people's perceptual intention to things, correlates with product characteristics, and designs products that meet people's expectations

2. The multicultural environment and self-improvement national consciousness have given birth to the formation of Japanese flavor in the design.

in Japan, it is not difficult to feel the multicultural rooted in this land, which has completely copied European and American things, has the meaning of Zen introduced from ancient China, has the simplicity and magnificence of pure Japan, and has recently erupted in Japanese fashion. However, what can attract the author's attention is still something with Japanese flavor. Pondering the formation of these Japanese flavors, the most important of which is the strong sense of local belonging of the Japanese nation and their unique collective concept, which can give birth to a common spirit and similar taste

driven by the common aesthetic spirit of Japanese flavor, under the social conditions of strengthening the sense of originality caused by competition, and in the atmosphere of great respect for the originality of designers, Japanese designers carefully give play to their ability of re creation on the traditional platform. For example, the redevelopment and reprocessing of traditional materials have created new ideas. Using the meaning of new fashion, those detailed patterns are printed on and paper again, and then this kind of and paper is used for future design, so that the Japanese flavor has always maintained vitality and change

this developing Japanese flavor shows obvious visual characteristics in Japanese packaging design. Many languages in traditional design are embodied in modern packaging. In terms of patterns, they are mainly abstract, and the themes are mainly plant patterns (plum, cherry, vine, chrysanthemum), animal patterns (dragon, Phoenix, fish, bird), utensil patterns (dishes, fans, round fans, tea props), hemp leaves, eyes and tortoise shells, as well as traditional family badges and geometric patterns. In addition, many knot elements were used in kimonos and ancient women's headwear, which were well used in packaging, and made new deduction and variation. Around the application of traditional colors in Japan, a series of color vocabulary with Japanese characteristics have been produced from traditional painting, pattern, clothing, food and other fields, and colors with Japanese characteristics have been formed on the packaging

of course, a relatively perfect advertising and marketing system, a strong basic industry, and a relatively healthy traditional handicraft system are also the guarantee for the realization of the design concept. This provides a good environment for the realization of Japanese flavor and the extension and innovation of traditional context

III. case analysis of several small product packaging design

case 1: Fruit

fruit, a traditional Japanese dessert, is often used as a partner in the tea ceremony. It is usually made of rice flour, which can be divided into hard and soft ones. The hard ones are similar to cookies and rice cakes, and the soft ones are similar to Chinese glutinous rice cakes. For China, a big food country, this kind of dim sum doesn't seem to be worth mentioning. However, it is the most common dim sum that, after careful design and packaging by designers, plays a very important role in Japan's daily etiquette life and becomes a good gift

first of all, the design and production of fruit shape and color vary. Secondly, after packaging, it shows different grades in the market, with prices ranging from several thousand yen to tens of thousands of yen. Popular packaging is generally three-tier. The outermost layer is wrapping paper, with Japanese comics, traditional patterns or words as the main graphics, and some directly use Japanese and paper. The second layer is the carton, which is covered with plastic compartments, in which the fruits are neatly arranged, and there are also separate plastic packages. Valuable gift packaging has four or more layers. In addition to the more exquisite design of the outer packaging paper and box, the single packaging layer is also more thoughtful. There are hand painted packaging paper coated with impermeable coating, which are manually made into various shapes, just like a trace of meticulous art. This is an ordinary dessert, which is shaped into a valuable gift

case 2: Pickles

the same packaging characteristics are shown in another humble food pickles. Japanese designers have indeed made great efforts in the packaging of pickles. In order to convey the concept of nature and environmental protection, pickles are packed with natural materials or simulated (leaves, bamboo leaves) materials; Sometimes the ball screws make them look like the original material, like the whole radish and the whole cabbage, trying to express the meaning of returning to the natural ecology. It is through all kinds of careful design that the added value of the product can be improved

case 3: Bento

Bento is a daily fast food in Japan, which is generally sold in supermarkets and small shops. For different classes of office workers, their product grades and packaging are different. The economical packaging is ordinary cartons and imitation wood cartons, while the advanced ones are imitation lacquer wooden boxes or plastic boxes. This kind of design comes from traditional Japanese restaurants, which are made of wood and pottery utensils and put in lacquer boxes. Nowadays, urban office workers pursue this dietary feeling, and designers continue to use this method. The difference is that they are made of easily recycled paper materials such as recycled paper and recycled wood, so that people can enjoy the traditional beauty and save costs when eating polystyrene, which is more powerful than the general radiation resistant material

there are countless such cases. Limited to space, just these three examples. When I read the considerable information photos taken during my trip to Japan, I can't help thinking about where China's product development, packaging design, production and marketing are going on the international platform? How to present the spirit of modern China? These propositions are what we need to think deeply