8th- Product Design/ Kawaii Art

 

Often mentioned alongside anime and manga, kawaii refers to a cultural style that incorporates bright, pastel colors and childlike imagery. In Japanese, the word kawaii has a meaning that sits more or less at the juncture of "cute," "tiny," or "lovable." The cute aesthetic—with its bold, nearly cartoon-like lines and rounded forms—informs a large segment of Japanese popular culture. As scholar Joshua Paul Dale writes, "[kawaii] communicates the unabashed joy found in the undemanding presence of innocent, harmless, adorable things."

The most famous example of kawaii culture is probably Hello Kitty, the ubiquitous white feline character whose image emblazons an ever-expanding range of products and accessories. The character was commissioned by a company called Sanrio, founded by Shintaro Tsuji, in 1974, with a plastic coin purse as the first product bearing the image. Now Hello Kitty is found on everything from backpacks to food trucks to duct tape to kitchen appliances to adult toys. Even though the character was originally intended for preteen girls, its limitless branding has pushed it into essentially every demographic and business sectors that have nothing to do with childhood.

But kawaii is about more than just fashion. It's often about endowing seemingly mundane things with personality..........Click to finish the article.

Top 10 list of Kawaii characters from Japanese culture

https://yumetwins.com/blog/top-10-kawaii-japanese-characters

You will be creating a product for this project. You will have the choice of making buttons, stickers, a piece of jewelry (earrings, necklace, charm bracelet,keychain) or a perler bead magnet. You will be designing your ideas in a cartoon/kawaii style and you will have to create multiple design ideas before you start. 

STEP 1- BRAINSTORM/ PROTOTYPING

You will need to complete these sheets before moving onto your final pieces.