Design of cultural and creative product “Mud Called Tiger”

Abstract

Clay sculpture art is a variety of image handicrafts based on local soil, using animals and people as templates, and collaged through color changing patterns. "The Mud Calling Tiger" is a representative folk handicraft work in Niejiazhuang clay sculpture. As one of the "Three Wonders of Gaomi", it has a history of over 600 years and is an important component of Shandong folk art. The design of the "Seeking Memories" series of works is based on the appearance of the "mud calling the tiger". The "mud calling the tiger" is mainly designed with traditional patterns as the main design elements, with two themes: "spring, summer, autumn, and winter" and "Dunhuang culture". The original pattern of "mud calling the tiger" is used as the main design object, and the pattern is innovated and changed by referring to traditional pattern images. At the same time, the innovation of "mud calling a tiger" will be applied in packaging design, poster design, and peripheral cultural and creative derivatives. The design of the series of folk handicrafts such as "Seeking Memories" innovates eight "mud tiger" patterns by combining them with patterns, spreading the art of clay sculpture through handicrafts, two posters, a set of packaging designs, and various peripheral cultural and creative forms. This design combines "mud calling tiger" with traditional patterns for two main reasons. Firstly, with the rapid development of society, the "mud calling tiger" clay sculpture art has encountered a series of problems such as outdated artistic inheritance and single innovation. The purpose of this design is to explore a more harmonious development and inheritance relationship between tradition and innovation, as well as the integration of finding successors in handicrafts and industrialization. Secondly, clay sculpture art is a cultural treasure and wisdom crystallization of China's 5000 year history, and a symbol of China's cultural soft power. This design ingeniously merges the "Clay Tiger" clay sculpture culture with traditional motifs, not only revitalizing the "Clay Tiger" culture, but also leveraging this opportunity to advance the preservation and growth of other traditional cultures, thereby fulfilling the lofty objective of promoting intangible cultural heritage. In the design, we carefully selected traditional motifs that are both representative and symbolic, skillfully integrating them with the "Clay Tiger" imagery to create a unique style that embodies traditional elegance while remaining contemporary. This design not only revitalizes the "Clay Tiger," an intangible cultural element, but also enables the transmission and enhancement of traditional motifs on new platforms. Through this design, we aim to inspire greater public interest in and affection for traditional culture, enhancing their consciousness of the importance of preserving and passing down intangible cultural heritage. Additionally, we aspire for this design to serve as a bridge between tradition and modernity, enabling a wider audience to appreciate traditional culture and simultaneously experience the allure of modern design.