Aesthetic of Cuteness Dimensions in Malang City Mascot

Abstract

Osi and Ji are Malang City mascots made with coherent design procedures. They represent a particular identity to appeal to the target audience. This paper examines the aesthetics of cuteness that synergize between the dimensions of affection, language, and design in the city’s mascot. The study is based on qualitative research with observations and interviews conducted between April and September 2018. The affective dimension of Osi and Ji is linked with their anthropomorphism. It creates a high level of intimacy for the audience. The design dimensions of Osi and Ji are determined by the ‘cuteness’ design principles, especially the use of basic shapes such as circles, vibrant colors, proportions, and poses. These three dimensions can function as a guide to design a city mascot character to have a strong visual impact.
 Keywords: Aesthetic of Cuteness, Character Design, City Mascot

Can whimsically cute packaging overcome young consumer product unfamiliarity?

“…In support, Schnurr (2019) revealed that whimsically cute packaging design significantly influences consumer purchase intention; the effectiveness of cute design has been proven to influence consumer response and behavior (e.g. Gn, 2016;Steinnes et al, 2019;Novica et al, 2020). Thus, we hypothesize that, MIP 41,5…”

“…While past studies have explored cute features individually, such as colors (e.g. Cheok, 2010;Komatsu and Ohkura, 2011;Gong et al, 2017), characters (Dydynski and M€ aekivi, 2018;Schnurr, 2019;Novica et al, 2020), logos (e.g. Septianto and Paramita, 2021), shapes (e.g.…”

“…Characters-particular identities a marketer wants to share with target audiences-can function as pleasant communicators, using cuteness to project positive emotions that endear them to consumers (Novica et al, 2020). Characters can be human or nonhuman, and researchers have not reached consensus on which of these options is perceived as cuter.…”

“…For example, Joutsela (2010) suggested that storytelling could be implied through new product packaging, while Schroll et al (2018) pointed to handwritten typefaces as triggering emotional attachment. Yang et al (2019) proposed that anthropomorphism-the concept of attributing nonhuman objects with human facial, behavioral, or mental characteristics (Novica et al, 2020)-helps build intimate connections and knowledge of unfamiliar situations or products. Similarly, Kauppi and van der Schaar (2020) found that the use of abstract images and attractive packaging colors persuaded inexperienced buyers to choose insect-based products.…”