Chinese traditional packaging spirit inheritance

Keywords :tradition; packaging; spirit; context

With regard to traditional culture, different people have different understandings and relate to the spirit of traditional packaging in China. It refers to the evolution of the civilization of the Chinese nation stored by traditional packaging carriers, and the personality and characteristics of Chinese packaging in form and spirit. It is a fluid, living organism that constantly reconstructs and integrates in the evolution of human civilization. It is a gradual continuation of civilization and is the accumulation of national history and culture. It has a close relationship with social life and historical environment, and it reflects the style of the historical era. It continues the history of ethnic packaging and reflects the personality characteristics of ethnic packaging. In the increasingly converged commercial packaging, the traditional spirit is an indelible memory.

We can grasp the context of Chinese packaging through the packaging style, taste style, and the connotation contained in the form, and recollect the characteristics of packaging in the spirit level, inheriting the essence of traditional packaging. The context of Chinese packaging is hidden, because the context is more reflected in the spiritual level. In the packaging design, the context has internal tension. The context woven into the texture of the work like a fiber, rather than an inlaid part that stands out from the texture, it can integrate into and inspire a more active modern life. We should respect the historical context, conform to the original packaging texture, grasp and refine Chinese packaging characteristics and cultural traditions, and absorb nutrients from modern life so that the context will become the life of China's packaging and continue and develop in the process of modernization.

The Chinese packaging tradition is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Chinese nation. Its appearance and characteristics are mainly manifested in form and spirit. From the perspective of the spirit, the contextual information conveyed by the Chinese packaging is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

1. The beauty of peace and harmony is “harmonious but different”:

Chinese philosophy admires the beauty of peace. When Confucius visited the Luzong Gongzong Temple about 2,500 years ago, when he was observing a ceremony from a temple that was not water-repelled and was filled with a certain amount of water, it was filled with water but dumped. "The only way of the golden mean", and that the beauty of the United States is the highest state of the United States: too Wen-Li-li, too much quality is ambiguous, gentle but polite. The concept of neutralization in traditional packaging design is also very obvious: we like to use elegant and subtle language symbols to design, and to synthesize various symbols or patterns through patterns, colors, materials, forms, structures, patterns, techniques, words, etc. To express a symbolic meaning, to convey a sentiment or atmosphere related to the characteristics of the commodity, seldom adopt an overly expressive approach, and use less straightforward techniques to brag about its own goods, but use indirect symbolic techniques. The idea of ​​conveying a specific product. In terms of form, it likes the complete saturation, stable and symmetrical structural modelling; on the color, it likes to use grayish tone to express the emotion of “a long history and pure quality”; it does not form conflict with the environment on the form, but emphasizes on nature, Coordination of the social environment; When any new innovation occurs, try not to overthrow the previous form as much as possible, but design on a traditional basis so that the new product is not too advanced, not too conservative, not too conspicuous for the consumer The feeling to thereby win the consumer's favorite in the largest range. Such as "Jinshi pure forest Church" packaging design, it is so beautiful, so pure, so elegant ... ...

While emphasizing the beauty of neutrality, Chinese traditional packaging also emphasizes “harmony and difference”. This is in striking agreement with today’s CIS design philosophy: seeking a unified impression of style, but with delicate and subtle changes in color, form, and texture. , highlight the product's personality, give consumers more choices and improve consumer satisfaction. Under the guidance of "consistent and different" thinking, "the overall sense of consistency is based on the diversity of goods and packaging" has a broad market base.

Long ago, the Chinese nation could improve and use a variety of materials of different qualities and colors to weave complex and varied patterns and structures. The “utility and decorative parts” of traditional packaging containers are also becoming more varied in their variety, such as the handling, handles, ears, feet, and mouths of containers, etc. In addition, “a variety of customized stereotypes for specific purposes have been produced. Containers and sets of products made of special purpose such as sets of pots, bowls, etc.; also designed in various forms of cover, such as single cover, cover, fit cover, disc cover, etc... from above We can see the ideological wisdom of our ancestors, be good at seeking differences with others, and design individuality and differences in a series of unified thoughts. Today in the post-industrial society, it is of great value to try to make products stand out from the crowd and highlight themselves in an era of fierce competition for similar products. Guided by the concept of "harmony but not the same", we will expand the market with serialized products, increase product awareness, and create personalized and novel packaging images. It gives a deep and strong impression and is a force that attracts customers and promotes sales. s method. For example, there are a lot of manufacturers that produce cakes. How can they make their products stand out from the rest? The packing strategy adopted by “Zhu Zu Xi Shi Jin Xi Lian” is that although the overall hue is red, it is also a traditional pattern. However, its merchandise under the uniform hue and similar pattern outline has its own characteristics. The packaging designs are different, some are long and phoenixed, some are auspicious flowers, some are ruyi ... Different designs of each show abundance, people can not put it down, eat different types of cake, should also have different flavors feel it ... ...

2, the traditional pursuit of quality:

The traditional packaging concept of the Chinese people "does not emphasize the appearance of appearance." History has left us with this spirit, and we should pass it on. Packaging design should not only talk about development but also history, and development must be in line with international standards. However, this development must be combined with the historical context of packaging, and it must not be separated from one another. The falsity of China's packaging design in the rapid development process is worthy of our reflection. This kind of falsity is not only appearance but also manifests itself in the spiritual character and the illusion of the soul. In today's commercial society, false substitutes for the real, artificial substitutes for nature, deliberate decoration of the excess of the subject, with less charge and more, with untruthfulness, shoddy, inside and outside are different, golden and ugly, and defeated, all of these are numerous Lift. In this case, packaging exceeds its specific limits, and for purely commercial tactics, it constitutes false fraud to consumers. On the other hand, advertisements that promote commercial reputation in the ancient times, such as "really not pricey, childless," "hundred years old, genuine," and so on, all reflect the traditional packaging spirit's pursuit of quality, which is in contrast with today's ugly reality. Should be a sharp contrast! Traditional packaging does not emphasize whitewashing, pursues authenticity, and is moderately decorative. This kind of normal packaging is a kind of promotion method and aesthetic transmission, and it is based on genuine value and is trusted and welcomed by consumers. For example, in the packaging of Xifeng Liquor, the styling adopted by it is traditional and simple baskets and pots. Today, we can still feel the ethos unique to these forms and shapes: the unpretentious appearance, the uncannily outstanding quality, and the old wine Verve beauty. It can be said that this package has continued the spirit of packaging in China.

3, people-oriented, humane, attention to detail of the United States:

The Chinese think that human beings are the spirit of all things. Confucius' thoughts are different from Plato’s “Man is a featherless animal with two legs.” Confucius’s thought is “benevolent lover,” which is Chinese history. A very important idea has been implemented in traditional packaging containers and forms. For example, “The structure of various lids is very clever and scientific. There are both buttons that are easy to hold and have a mouth that closely matches the rim of the container. There are also 'pans and covers' that can Over and over again.” From this passage we can see that the container structure of traditional packaging in China is designed to be very elaborate, people-oriented, intimate and practical, and the beauty of attention to detail, putting the needs of users “people” first Bit. How to make the world feel the existence of Chinese history in development and reflect the people-oriented personality of packaging, which is an important topic in today's packaging. Now that we are in the era of high technology and the information age, technology is important, but it is not absolute. If the technology is out of balance with emotions, there will be worries. The humanized connotation in the traditional packaging spirit can just balance with the high-tech society, enhance the perceptual factors, and reduce the negative impact brought by instrumental rationality. It can be said that in any era, the connotation of human nature of packaging is actually much more important than what is “artistic, technical, and scientific.” Because packaging design is for people, it is through the creation of materials to design people’s material lifestyle, and then affect people’s behavior. And mental state. While packaging design creates a more humanistic material lifestyle, it actually creates a new style of behavior and new culture.

4, the importance of natural harmony and the overall mood:

The philosophical thinking of "harmonizing people and nature together" embodied in the context of Chinese packaging is consistent with modern design ideas. The concept of "creating a foreign teacher and getting the heart" has always been the ideal of the Chinese people. Designers should devote their utmost efforts to observing nature and find out the law of natural development. Because nature is an endless source of creativity, the designer's sentiments are also cultivated in the understanding of nature, and the artistic interest is enhanced. While “foreign teachers’ creation,” they must also be good at “creating the heart of the heart” and integrate natural things to make the natural image internalized into the designer’s own mental image, so that the designer’s mind and the natural world can achieve a real fit. . Therefore, the Chinese have always believed that "no decoration" is beautiful, and "decoration is not natural" (returning to the truth) is the harmonious beauty of gentleness. This natural and harmonious beauty is the highest realm. Based on this idea, the Chinese also believe that successful packaging should not only attract people's attention, but also allow people to appreciate a poetic cultural conception. The artistic beauty and cultural connotation of the design work itself should reveal a kind of artistic conception. This artistic conception must be natural, harmonious, and overall consistent whether it is the state of static, imaginary, ethereal, unrestrained, or romantic. The combination of infinite mood and limited sceneries gives people a deep sense of the beauty of the East, a unique outlook on the universe and the sentiments of life, bringing the art of design into an inspiring spiritual realm. For example, the Zheng Mingming cosmetics logo uses the crescent moon and flowers to reflect the artistic concept of "close the moon and shy flowers." The packaging of the Chinese wine, the red door gods are distributed on both sides, and the golden ribbon stands in the middle, making the works vivid and vivid. , contains rich cultural heritage, not only conveys the concept of the product, but also integrates the general artistic conception of poetry; the packaging design of Maotai wine enables people to enjoy the spirit and sublime the culture after drinking. Tradition.

Conclusion: The contextual information contained in traditional packaging in China is very rich. For the development of Chinese packaging, contextual continuity is extremely important. We must face the future and strive for progress. It does not mean that we must completely clear the past. In the process of rapid modernization, our traditional unique features are becoming weaker and weaker. In order to carry the historic corridor of civilization, we will not be ruined in our time. The first thing we must do is clean up the contextual information and be truly spiritual. Inherit the spirit of traditional Chinese packaging. The continuation of the traditional packaging spirit requires the designer to go deep into history, observe and observe carefully, and design and process every detail and element. It not only pays attention to the relationship between product and historical context, but also pays attention to its own innovation and publicity. Moreover, it respects the combination of ecological environment and self-expression, dares to adopt new materials, new technologies, and new forms, and reflects the development and progress of packaging. People now refer to the issue of “Oriental Culture and Ecology”, which is to realize the importance of preserving the traditional packaging spirit. The integration of modern packaging design and traditional cultural spirit is something that many people are doing today, but we must continue to work hard.