AI 보조 기반 감성화 캐릭터 콘텐츠 디자인에 관한 연구 - Molly 블라인드 박스 시리즈를 중심으로 -

초록

This study empirically examines the role of AI in emotionalized character content design and explores directions for AI-assisted character design. Focusing on three commercially released Molly blind-box series by POP MART, the study analyzes five factors: visual identity, emotional expressiveness, cultural resonance, design sensibility, and purchase–recommendation intention. Survey items were derived through case analysis and focus group discussions, and 208 valid responses were collected via a Chinese online platform and analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. The results show that design sensibility and visual identity are the primary drivers of overall acceptance, while emotional expressiveness and cultural resonance vary by theme. Purchase and recommendation intention emerges as a subsequent outcome following emotional acceptance. Based on these findings, the study argues that AI should function not as an autonomous creative agent but as a supportive tool that expands designers’ exploration of identity and emotion, with final design decisions remaining under human evaluation, selection, and responsibility.

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