Gold Packaging Design · 2021
Yongxi Dual Function Incense Holder
by En Ke
- A' Design Award 2021 Gold Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Shanghai Yongxi Gold Phoebe Culture Communication Co., Ltd
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 29,563
- Verification code F6B09C2D64 · Verify this award
About Yongxi Dual Function Incense Holder
This work was designed by Mr. En Ke based on ancient Chinese royal culture. The packaging is redesigned with the elements of cloud pattern in the Forbidden City, the overall work of art is like an ivory, fully embodies the beauty of the Orient. Open the top cover, there is an incense holder golden phoebe wrapped in eco-friendly paper. This design works to break the traditional, will have two combustion and storage functions into a product design, so was patented in China. It has won international design awards while receiving well received from the market!
Within the rich tradition of objects designed for contemplative practice and ceremonial ritual, this arrangement of the Yongxi Dual Function Incense Holder exemplifies the philosophy that packaging may transcend its protective function to become an integral component of the user experience itself. The design demonstrates a profound understanding of material semantics, selecting rosewood not merely for its visual warmth but for its cultural associations with scholarly refinement and its natural aromatic properties that complement the incense tradition. The embossed cloud motifs adorning the white cylindrical vessel reference classical decorative vocabularies drawn from centuries of artistic production, where such patterns symbolized good fortune, celestial realms, and the ephemeral nature of existence, themes particularly resonant with incense culture's meditative purposes. Technical achievement manifests in the ingenious dual functionality wherein the wooden cylinder serves first as protective packaging, then transforms through simple manipulation into the incense burner itself, eliminating waste while creating continuity between acquisition and use. The compositional presentation suggests awareness of how objects communicate through their arrangement, the three vertical forms evoking altar configurations while the horizontal burner demonstrates the product's secondary life. Material choices reflect considered environmental consciousness, favoring renewable wood and recyclable paper over synthetic alternatives. The subtle smoke captured mid-rise introduces temporal presence, reminding viewers that these objects exist not as static commodities but as participants in living rituals of pause and reflection. How might the transformation of packaging into permanent tool reshape our relationship with the objects we acquire?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- In Eastern culture, the storage and burning of incense are two independent tools. This design work combines the above two functions. Its design structure is through the re-creation of the "dovetail" structure of the traditional process, combined with the structural design of the West Pull firearms.
The outer packaging of the product is redesigned with cloud pattern elements on the double dragon wall of the Forbidden City. the whole body as if an Oriental ivory carving works of art to show the beauty of the Orient. - Dimensions & Packaging
- 1. Outer packaging: length 29cm, diameter 3.4cm (cylindrical); 2. Lining: environmentally friendly paper spot color printing, unfolded size 28cmX9.5cm, rolled into place, isolation and shock protection; 3. Inner packaging: wood Incense sticks, length 27.5cm, diameter 2.7cm (cylindrical)
- Tags
- Incense set, Oriental culture, Combining two into one, Imperial Palace culture
- Production Technology
- Outer packaging: fine molds, imitation tooth carving injection products; inner packaging (containers): 3 grades, 1. Golden phoebe, 2. Lobular red sandalwood, 3. Rosewood.
Others: environmentally friendly paper and spot color printing.
Process: wood selection, wood drying treatment, wood anti-deformation treatment, industrial machine cutting, laser engraving of details, product forming combination, batch polishing. - Design Challenge
- Difficulty 1: In Eastern culture, the storage and burning of incense are two independent tools. Modern life advocates practical minimalism. How to break the tradition and combine two tools into one?
Difficulty 2: The performance and reshaping of historical culture requires innovation, but also needs to ensure that the original brand culture and product experience will not be separated from the original historical and cultural soil? - Project Duration
- Started in Beijing, China in July 2018; completed in Shanghai, China in August 2019; obtained Chinese innovation invention patents in December 2019; and exhibited in Frankfurt, Germany in February 2020.
- Operation Flow
- 1. Pull out the top cover of the white outer packaging,
2. Pinch the opening of the black paper inner packaging, and then pull out the product as a whole.
3. Take out the cylindrical product from the black paper inner packaging.
4. The cylindrical product is a combination of the upper part and the lower part, which can be separated into an burner and an holder by pushing back and forth by hand.
5. Remove the incense from the holder and insert the burner to light it. - Research
- 1. Research on the royal culture and brand culture of China during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
2. Research on people's prefereRnce for aroma supplies in modern home life.
3. Research on the combination of traditional craftsmanship of wooden incense and modern craftsmanship that can be mass-produced. - Inspiration
- In ancient China, golden phoebe was used exclusively by the royal family and the people would be guilty of using it. Today, we are committed to breaking down barriers of tradition and modernity, therefore, the royal cultural elements of the Forbidden City, as a creative inspiration.
- Patents
- The product design and packaging design of this product have obtained China's national innovation invention patent, patent number: ZL 2019 2 0111503.4；Patent authorization announcement date: December 24, 2019; inventor: KE, EN