Silver Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design · 2021
Underforest: Select Brand Identity
by Yi-Jen Tu
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- CLIENT: Chiayi Forest District Office - Forestry Bureau
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 41,417
- Verification code E902555592 · Verify this award
About Underforest: Select Brand Identity
Underforest: Select is a brand identity created for products of the under-forest economy in Taiwan. The logo is formed by four forest-green triangles that represent the Chinese character for forest and express the idea of coexistence with woodland. Forest-green stands for natural resources, while matte gold stands for economic potential. The packaging uses simili paper for a texture close to wood and is finished with matte gold hot foil stamping. Image integration and shared packaging standards reduce material costs and support local foresters.
This comprehensive visual identity system emerges from contemporary traditions of sustainable brand communication, where environmental consciousness merges seamlessly with sophisticated graphic design practice to create materials that honor both ecological values and aesthetic refinement. The design demonstrates exceptional command of visual hierarchy across multiple applications, from event announcements to product cataloging, maintaining coherent brand voice while adapting to varied communicative purposes. The illustrative approach suggests influences from both traditional botanical documentation and contemporary nature-focused illustration, creating imagery that feels simultaneously scientific in its observational accuracy and warmly handcrafted in its execution. Particularly noteworthy passages include the bark texture renderings that transform tree trunks into abstract compositional elements while retaining their organic character, and the delicate treatment of the bee illustration that captures both anatomical precision and gestural vitality. The chromatic strategy demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how color communicates brand values, with the dominant forest green establishing immediate associations with sustainability, growth, and natural authenticity while gold accents suggest quality and careful stewardship. The integration of Eastern and Western typographic systems reflects thoughtful consideration of audience and market positioning, creating materials that communicate across cultural contexts without sacrificing design coherence. The geometric logomark, with its abstracted mountain or tree form, provides memorable brand recognition while the overlapping transparent elements suggest interconnection and layered ecological relationships. One might observe how the overall system celebrates the productive relationship between human cultivation and forest ecosystems, positioning commercial activity as harmonious extension of natural processes rather than exploitation thereof. The viewer is invited to consider how visual design might embody values of environmental responsibility while maintaining the professional polish expected of contemporary brand communication.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The project, in hand with the government, built the leading brand of "Underforest: Select" for the under-forest economy. Through image integration and packaging specification, designers reduce material costs without compromising quality, strengthen the brand identity and raise the values for their products.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- UNDERFOREST:SELECT GIFT BOX: 270mm x 80mm x 185mm
- Tags
- #Taiwan #ChiayiForestDistrictOfficeForestryBureau #UNDERFOREST:SELECT #BrandIdentity #UnderForestEconomy #CoexistwithForests #SocialImpact #Sustainableconsumptionawareness
- Production Technology
- The logo consists of four forest-green triangles, representing the Chinese Character "林 (Forest)." The logo conveys the idea of coexistence with the forests. The packaging uses simili paper to create the sense of touching the woods and is decorated with hot foil stamping in matte gold, which represents "the economic potential in the forests."
- Design Challenge
- The concept of "UNDERFOREST:SELECT" integrates three conditions:
A. Be eco-friendly and coexist with the forests
B. Revitalize the agricultural economy
C. Raise the green awareness among the consumers through the brand identity and visual design and change their consumption habits - Project Duration
- The project started in Taichung, Taiwan in October 2020 and ended in Chiayi, Taiwan, in January 2021. The "UNDERFOREST:SELECT" brand launch event was held in Chiayi Chukou Nature Center on January 22, 2021.
- Operation Flow
- Our branding colors are forest-green and matte gold. Forest-green portrays the abundant natural resources in the woods, and the matte gold represents the economic potential of the under-forest economy. We shape the brand identity with layers of woods and the silhouettes of the under-forest economy's products as an epitome of the sustainable cycle of life between forest ecologies and economy.
- Research
- The government started promoting the "Under-forest Economy" because of the favorable climate conditions and the diversity of honey plants in the forest. After thinning, the woods were cut into logs with high carbohydrate content and high lignin. The foresters comply with the rule of not using any pesticides or chemicals in the process of planting. They develop natural and safe under-forest products such as "forest honey," "log-based mushrooms," and "Taiwan jewel orchid." Through "UNDERFOREST:SELECT," the foresters began to understand the idea of branding concept and marketing. The cooperation between the government, the foresters, and the brand "UNDERFOREST:SELECT" promotes the idea that productive economic activity and ecology can co-exist.
- Inspiration
- For decades, Taiwan's government forbade the logging of primeval forests and encouraged afforestation. However, it is difficult for forest owners to maintain their livelihood through forest management. Thus, in 2020, the Forestry Bureau launched the policy of "Under Forest Economy," with the coexistence of forest ecologies, to let foresters cultivate plants and livestock to increase their income. In 2020, we united with the government around the same goal and put out the brand "UNDERFOREST: SELECT," being of assistance to local foresters in South Taiwan.
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