Design Guidelines of Souvenirs for Maintaining the Sustainability of a Local Culture in Chinese Tourism Industry

Abstract

When designing a tourism souvenir, designers not only need to consider the cultural elements, but also should be aware of the protection and preservation of the local culture. A good souvenir will let tourists appreciate it because it reflects local cultures, and it is environmental friendly as well as giving the tourists a great memory. The goal of this thesis is to create design guidelines that can be applied to souvenir design while helping local people maintain the sustainability of the local culture. For this project, research is conducted to analyze the current situation of the Chinese tourism market. The research involves current souvenirs and cultural preservation. After research and analysis, a set of design guidelines is developed for designers. The image, color, pattern, function and materials are all considered in the design guidelines. Two souvenirs are created to validate the effectiveness and feasibility of the guidelines. The design process and final physical models are also included. In the future, the importance of sustainable culture will be realized by more and more people, and tourism souvenirs will have a strong market share because of their unique cultural element and harmlessness to the local environment. The balance between economic development, local cultures, and environment maintenance will be achieved. Hopefully, the design guidelines created in this thesis will lead the Chinese tourism industry to a higher level of cultural appreciation and preservation.