More and more parents take more attentions to children’s reading in health and green environment. Green design and print children’s book will be a trend in the children’s book market. Following we will discuss green design children’s book through 4 aspects.
1. Children’s book printing material of green use
The develop trend for green design is use natural and green material to print children’s book. Such as recyclable or renewable low-energy, low-polluting materials. Avoid to use toxic, hazardous, radioactive materials. As we all know, paper uses most in book design. In children’s book design, we use most coated paper with double lamination. But there has a problem, this lamination on the printed product is the same as other plastic product hard to degradation. It is easy to cause white pollution, and the paper after laminating, also can’t recyclable anymore.
According to a statistical report by The Economist. The annual paper consumption of Chinese people is 1.81 trees per capita. Thus, too more use paper is not eco-friendly. Children’s intellectual judgment ability is poor, behaving impulsively. If the paper’s toughness and fastness is not enough. It is easier to bite badly and tear up by the children. Thus, children’s book material design is different from adult’s book design. Design children’s book, it not only needs to meet children’s physiological and psychological characteristics. Also need to meet social ecological environment protection.
Different from coated paper. Lightweight paper is basically made from wood pulp, it is more eco-friendly. Using lightweight paper to print children’s book, the color is close to nature color and not bright as coated paper. Which can better protect children’s eye. Since lightweight paper is more light and touching is comfortable. It is more suitable for children to read. And the price of lightweight paper is lower than coated paper and offset paper. Using it to design and print children’s book, it can save more cost. Besides, lightweight paper can recycle, it can better protect our environment.
2. Children’s book of green printing
Children are a special groups, their perception of the world, except for touch. Sometimes will though their mouth to explore the world. They like what and are interested in what. They will bite or lick the book. This must be a channel for the spread of germs. So for such age of children, they touching anything must need top security. Meanwhile, also need to meet their curiosity and desire to learn, help them know the world through the book. In adult’s book reading, sometimes ink sticks to hands, and the ink with harmful materials. So in children’s book design, we need to take more attention to green printing.
In children’s book printing, ink is necessary. Traditional ink includes various heavy metal elements. If use traditional ink to custom children’s book printing. When the children bite or tear the book, it will cause serious harmfulness for children’s health. Such as lead poisoning was detected in the blood of some babies. Because children’s books and toys contained excessive heavy metal elements and volatile organic compounds. Thus, when we printing children’s book, we must use green printing ink.
At present, green printing ink is based on vegetable oil. Such as water-based ink, UV ink and soy ink. Soy ink is extracted by pure vegetable oil. Such of ink is non-toxic, odorless and not include VOCs that pollute the atmosphere. Using such of ink to print children’s book can protect children’s health.
Apart from ink, under the conditions of information identification, protection, and convenience. We also need to consider select more simple process to design and print children’s book. Such as reducing lamination, etc. process of use.
3. The redesign of children’s book function
Green design thinking includes product’s multipurpose design. Include through change to increase the pleasure of design. To avoid boring, then replace needs. It can update and replace. Or through using as little other material as possible to expand life. In children’s book designing and printing, a children’s book not only with a reading function. Also can design other function to improve the book’s value and life. Such as the toy book, not only with the book’s content and form, also with toy’s savor and function. Compared to ordinary children’s book. A toy book is both educational and entertaining, fun and beautiful, and easier to be preserved. Such type of toy books like children’s sticker book, jigsaw puzzle book, pop-up book, etc.
4. The humanistic design of children’s book vision
Reduce blinding visual stimuli and visual pollution. Add humanized visual design also belongs to the green design field. At this age of children, can’t read complex book. So design such age of children’s book major in graphic, text as a supplement. And the color often uses high pure color. In children’s book design, we need to consider how to focus on children’s vision, simple and intuitive to show this information element to readers. So that your book can stimulate their curiosity and thirst for knowledge. In children’s cognition, if too complex and cumbersome graphic, it is hard to attract them for the first time. So when we design the graphic, we must not be too complex, mostly figurative, simple in form. So that can attract children’s attention more fast.
Meanwhile, on the space design, we need to pay more attention to the relationship between area, position, space of graphic and text. Be good at white space processing, to make children’s eye have a short relax. On the color design, we need to pay attention to three aspects. That is the contrast and reconciliation between brightness, pureness, hue. Although the children’s book printing main in high pure color. But we also need to pay attention to reduce notable contrast and powerful stimulus of sizeable area between high pure color. So that we can better protect the health of children’s eye. Besides, the text is a suitable size, suitable for children to read. From the overall spatial layout of the book to the layout design. It creates a good and humanized reading space for children.
In children’s book design and printing, green ecological design is a new design concept. From design and people, design and environment to consider children’s book design and printing. From book material, printing, function, vision design to promote green design and green consumption. To make it to meet children’s curiosity and thirst for knowledge for the world. Meanwhile, with the signification of safe, nature and eco-friendly. Only such of book can call green children’s book.
