Souvenir Design and Exhibition Booth Development for Karen Hill Tribe of Banluang, Chomthong, Chiang Mai

Abstract

            The Pga K’nyau Karen people are distinguished by their culture and wisdom. They have a long historical story and get the attention of tourists. In Thailand, there are many groups of Pga K’nyau Karen people who have different identities in each area. This research aims to study the remarkable identity of the Pga K’nyau Karen tribe at Ban Luang Subdistrict, Chom Thong District, Chiang Mai Province, and to design souvenir products, with their packages and exhibition booths employing the remarkable identity of the Karen tribe. The data about the identity was collected by visiting the tribe. Then, the extracted remarkable identity was subjected to the design of many things noted above with computer programs. The satisfaction of the design was assessed by using a questionnaire with 134 people. The result found that the remarkable identity of the Pga K’nyau Karen tribe was the pattern of weaving and the millet embroidery. After designing the product based on such identity, it was found that the seventh pattern received the greatest satisfaction since the pattern design on the surface, with contrasting colors, contributed to the increasing highlight of the eye-catching patterns. In the packaging design, the second style received the greatest average satisfaction scores in the overall assessment and the highest score in the communication of graphics and tribal identity in the packaging. For the design of the exhibition booth, the first pattern got the greatest average satisfaction scores in the overall assessment. Notably, the high scores in the tribal identity referenced the expression, the creation, and the style of product arrangement and presentation. Whenever the remarkable Karen pattern of weaving and millet embroidery is used in the design, it adds to the overall attractive creations that act as a medium for cultural dissemination.