A Study on the Perception and Preference of the Wuxing Image Integrated into the Lucky Charm

Abstract

Lucky charms are mainly derived from people's wish to bring good luck or get rid of misfortune through the power of faith. Confronted by obstacles and disappointments, modern people would turn to traditional cultural beliefs to help them get over difficulties. Consumers in Taiwan are showing growing interests in lucky charms, while manufacturers are working hard to develop various types of lucky charms to meet the diverse needs of consumers. In recent years, most of the lucky charms are based on tangible or intangible images from religions, geomantic omen, folklore, etc. Also, in response to consumers' aesthetic needs, more aesthetic elements are incorporated into the design. Besides fundamental elements of religion, geomantic omen, folklore and other beliefs, manufacturers also need to understand consumers' perception and preferences to better meet their needs. The study aimed to explore the perception and preference of consumers for Wuxing lucky charms, and analyze consumers’ preferences of the geomantic omen images. This paper collected data through literature review and questionnaire survey of 79 people based on their identity and preference to identify important factors that influence consumers' preference so as to facilitate the design of lucky charms. The study analyzed the respondents' preferences of typical Wuxing lucky charms through the questionnaire survey, and found consumers prefer traditional, refined and delicate design. Also, they like products that could bring them good luck, revealing consumers' preference for geomantic omen image. This study will help manufacturers determine the focus of design, and provide references in this regard. From the study, we found that products with explicit colors can arouse more resonance from consumers. Therefore, it is suggested that when designing the Wuxing products, we can increase the use of Wuxing colors to highlight its characteristics and charms, and better meet the needs of consumers.