Vegetable Box Packaging by Kikumi Yoshida is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Bronze A' Design Award in Packaging Design Competition Category.
BronzePackaging· 2025
Vegetable Box Packaging
Client: Hagata Farm
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Packaging Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #164661The Design
About Vegetable Box Packaging
The design reimagines vegetables as art born from the soil, engaging the senses through their appearance and aroma. The motif, inspired by the sun, mirrors a cross-section of a carrot, symbolizing the connection between giver and receiver. This design presents familiar vegetables in a novel and creative way. Labels are crafted from materials that preserve the packaging's integrity, allowing for reuse after gifting. This thoughtful approach enhances the perceived value of the vegetables, making them more meaningful as gifts and deepening the experience for both giver and recipient.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Vegetable Box Packaging is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Vegetable Box Packaging is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Vegetable Box Packaging splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Where to Get It
Packaging Design for Food and Agricultural Brands
We transform agricultural products into meaningful gifts through thoughtful packaging design. Working closely with farmers and food producers, we create designs that honor tradition while engaging modern consumers. Our award-winning approach turns ordinary vegetables, mushrooms, and local products into extraordinary experiences.
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Design Interview
What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
The main principle behind this design was to communicate the inherent beauty and vitality of vegetables as a heartfelt gift. Through extensive interviews at the farm, I realized that vegetables are not only visually attractive, but also possess a sensory richness—their scent, texture, and warmth from the soil all speak to the senses. To convey this “living charm,” I chose a symbol that combines the cross-section of a carrot with the sun, representing warmth and life. I also focused on sustainability and aesthetics by using materials that are eco-friendly and a structure that can be reused, allowing the packaging itself to remain as part of the gift experience.
What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
My main focus was to shape and visualize the uniqueness of the client. I wanted to explore the potential that arises when agriculture and design intersect, and how design can help convey the value of vegetables as something more than just food.
What are your future plans for this award winning design?
We are planning to hold a commemorative exhibition this summer in a sunflower field managed by the client. It will be a celebratory event open to the community and those involved in the project.
Grand Interview
Your innovative approach to transforming everyday carrots into "art born from the soil" in the Vegetable Box Packaging has reimagined gift-giving - could you elaborate on how this vision evolved during your collaboration with Hagata Farm?
Through my collaboration with Hagata Farm, the idea of treating vegetables as “art born from the soil” became even stronger. Witnessing the beauty and vitality of vegetables growing in the fields inspired me to present them not merely as food, but as living works of art. Hearing directly from the farmers about their dedication and care made me realize that the packaging should convey not only the product but also the story and feelings behind it. As a result, the design evolved into something more than just a container — it became part of the gift experience itself.
The sun-inspired motif derived from a carrot's cross-section in the Vegetable Box Packaging creates a powerful visual connection - what inspired you to highlight this often-overlooked natural geometry, and how does it enhance the overall brand narrative?
I was fascinated by the natural geometry hidden in the cross-section of a carrot, which resembles the sun. By highlighting this often-overlooked pattern, I wanted to symbolize “the blessings of the earth” and “vital energy.” This motif strengthens Hagata Farm’s brand narrative of living in harmony with nature and connecting people through warmth and care. It visually expresses the farm’s philosophy and enhances the storytelling behind the product.
The Vegetable Box Packaging's deep gray interior contrasts beautifully with the vegetables' vibrant colors - could you share the thought process behind these specific material and color choices, and how they contribute to elevating the perceived value of farm produce?
By using a deep gray interior, I aimed to make the natural colors of the vegetables stand out more vividly. This design choice also adds a sense of luxury, similar to opening a high-end gift box. The dark background enhances the freshness and vibrancy of the produce. Additionally, I selected a sturdy, reusable paper material to encourage recipients to keep and cherish the box even after use. These choices work together to elevate the perceived value of the farm produce and create a more memorable and impactful experience.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Vegetables are envisioned as "art born from the soil," engaging our senses through their appearance and aroma. The design motif, reminiscent of the sun, symbolizes a cross-section of a carrot, fostering connections between giver and receiver. This initiative reintroduces familiar vegetables in a novel light. The labels are made from materials that do not harm the packaging, allowing use after gifting. This approach enhances the value of the vegetables, making them a more meaningful gift.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 300 mm (w) x 235 mm (d) x 70 mm (h)
- Tags
- gift, package design, farmer, vegetable, foil stamping
- Production Technology
- This gift box is designed primarily to hold carrots and other root vegetables. Before creating the design, we carefully examined the carrots from various angles and chose a paper that highlights their vibrant colors. To enhance the visual appeal, we applied transparent foil stamping on the top surface, creating a symbol that resembles a sun, inspired by the cross-section of a carrot. The interior of the box features a deep gray color, accompanied by brand description text that articulates the brand concept. This thoughtful design not only showcases the beauty of the vegetables but also communicates the essence of the brand effectively.
- Design Challenge
- The value of carrots in the market is very low. The concept and difficult part of the project was to break that common sense and appeal to consumers by adding new value to the taste, beauty, and bounty of carrots and vegetables.
- Research
- The motif printed on the top of the box is a cross section of a carrot, which is a schematic representation of the sun. The cross section of the carrot shows multiple tissues beautifully aligned. It is the parts of the carrot that are usually overlooked that have universal beauty.
- Inspiration
- Through extensive meetings in the fields, we gained insight into the farm owner's passion for vegetable farming and the intricacies of his production. This experience revealed that vegetables are not merely visually appealing; they possess a charm that engages the senses. This realization has greatly enhanced the brand's identity and improved the product's appeal, positively influencing consumer perception and reinforcing its market presence.
- Project Duration
- The project began in 2022 in Niihama, Ehime, Japan, and won the Grand Prix at that year's Creators Club Ehime Awards, as well as the Packaging Category Award and the Prefectural Citizens' Judging Award.
- Operation Flow
- Carrot leaves will be used as part of the cushioning material in this package. This way, the unique texture of the vegetable can be felt. In addition, a special label that does not damage the material of the box allows it to be used as a durable and beautiful box that can be used even after gifting.
- Image Credits
- #1:Designer Kikumi Yoshida, Kuuche design,Photographer Keijiro Ando,vegetable box,2023.
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