I’d like to take a moment to highlight a packaging project that recently won the A’ Design Award.
This project stands out for its depth of concept and its exquisite execution on multiple levels. Let’s take a closer look at our featured inspiration in this article.
Kaishan Chinese Spirit 18 Neo-Chinese Spirit – Featured Project
by Jansword Zhu
Project Background
The goal was to create new packaging for the Chinese spirits brand Kaishan Chinese Spirit.
This brand controls 70% of the alcohol market in China. However, its original recipe is quite strong, with a flavor reminiscent of sauce, which has led younger consumers to turn away from the brand.
To address this, the company wanted to modernize its image and appeal to a new generation of consumers.
Design Approach
The challenge was to reconcile the Chinese tradition that values large bottles with the global perception that larger packaging often signals lower quality spirits.
To achieve this, graphic design studio Jansword Zhu created a bottle with thicker glass, resulting in a 500ml capacity, and placed it inside a large package.
Additionally, Chinese characters are difficult to adapt to modern designs due to their irregularity, which is why Chinese designs have often lost their modern edge and remained artisanal.
Glass was chosen to convey a sense of purity, contrasting with the ceramics typically used for spirits.
The bottle features gradient blue glass representing a mountain, topped with a wooden stopper. Rather than being round, it has 18 distinct facets, inspired by the ancient Chinese poem “the mountain looks different from every angle.”
The packaging also includes a box that opens from the center, inspired by Chinese lanterns, with an exterior design referencing the paintings of Dunhuang Cave.
About the Creator
This packaging was created by the design studio Jansword Design.
Award
The packaging project was recently honored with the “A’ Design Award” for Best Packaging Design of 2018-2019.
Opinion
In my view, both the design and the creative process deserve top marks. The project masterfully combines design, form, and meaning, taking a product with a well-defined starting point and unique challenges and successfully reimagining it for a younger audience—a challenge perfectly suited for a design studio willing to take on the task of reinventing a classic.
Links of Interest
www.competition.adesignaward.com
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