Silver Packaging Design · 2025
Planetarium Cultural and Creative Merchandise
by Alan Guo
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Beijing Planetarium
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 20,474
- Verification code 9546A8417A · Verify this award
About Planetarium Cultural and Creative Merchandise
This thermos bottle is part of a broader product series that includes stamps, bookmarks, tapes, tote bags and other items. Inspired by astronauts, the designs convey a sense of weightlessness and explore the relationship between humanity and the universe. From a levitating, space themed cup to a tote bag featuring a hand holding an astronaut's lifeline, each product embodies imaginative storytelling. The collection aims to spark public curiosity about the cosmos and promote a rational and thoughtful perspective on humanity's place within it.
Alan Guo's Planetarium Cultural and Creative Merchandise represents a sophisticated meditation on the intersection of protective packaging functionality and experiential narrative design, suggesting how contemporary creative practice can transform utilitarian objects into vessels of meaning and wonder. The transparent inflatable capsules appear to draw upon diverse visual traditions, from the pneumatic structures of postwar experimental architecture to the specimen preservation practices of natural history museums, creating containers that simultaneously reveal and protect their precious contents. The astronomical illustrations adorning the enclosed cylinders demonstrate accomplished draftsmanship in a tradition of scientific illustration stretching from Renaissance celestial atlases through Enlightenment astronomical engravings, rendered here with contemporary refinement that honors heritage while speaking to present sensibilities. The careful balance between revelation and concealment created by the transparent housing invites contemplation of how we encounter knowledge and discovery, with the sealed capsule perhaps functioning as a metaphor for the cosmos itself, visible yet requiring effort and intention to access fully. Technical merit manifests in the precise inflation that maintains consistent form across multiple units while the sealed terminations suggest careful attention to both manufacturing precision and user experience during the eventual opening ritual. The choice of monochromatic illustration against pristine containers creates visual hierarchy that privileges content while celebrating form, suggesting a design philosophy where packaging and product exist in symbiotic dialogue rather than hierarchical relationship. How might the anticipation created by this transparent barrier enhance the eventual experience of discovery?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This series of cultural products, featuring astronauts as its central theme, explores the relationship between humanity and the universe. By combining space exploration with reflections on the connection between humans and Earth, the design stands out. It inspires curiosity about astronomy and encourages a deeper understanding of our relationship with nature and the cosmos, fostering a correct worldview and cosmic perspective. The unique fusion of art, science, and philosophy distinguishes it from traditional designs.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 25*40cm Inflatable bag, Screen printing
- Tags
- Planetarium, Cultural and Creative Merchandise, Universe
- Production Technology
- Inflatable bag,Screen printing, Put the screen-printed thermos cup into the bag, Visually increases the floating feeling of astronauts
- Design Challenge
- In this design project, the client smoothly approved our proposal. The biggest challenge, however, was turning the concept into tangible, marketable products.
To ensure the practicality of our ideas, we personally purchased and tested various drawstring bags with different materials and sizes to find the most suitable option for the vacuum flask packaging.
Additionally, since this was not a single product but a series developed for the entire planetarium, we had to coordinate with multiple suppliers. This involved sorting out key factors such as materials, dimensions, and pricing for each product.
For a graphic design studio, managing these production details and cross-functional coordination presented a significant challenge, but it was also a valuable learning experience. - Project Duration
- This project started in May 2020 and ended in July. It was sold in the planetarium in September and received many positive reviews from consumers.
- Operation Flow
- The use of inflatable bags makes the astronauts look more like they are floating, increasing the experience and fun of the audience buying the product.
- Research
- This is a cultural and creative project developed for a planetarium. The designer drew inspiration from the Voyager spacecraft’s image of Earth taken from deep space—a tiny blue dot that invites us to rethink the relationship between humans and Earth, and between humanity and the universe.
To convey this perspective, the designer created a series of astronaut-themed cultural products. When visitors imagine themselves as astronauts, they gain a new vantage point from which to understand human existence and the cosmos, helping to form a more grounded worldview and cosmic perspective.
For example, the astronaut-themed tote bag requires the user to grip it tightly—symbolizing the responsibility of holding a partner’s life in one’s hands. The vacuum flask packaging, designed with a floating visual effect, subtly reminds us that something as common as water is not so easily obtained in space.
Through these designs, the project encourages people to reflect on their everyday lives, recognize the preciousness of resources, and develop a deeper appreciation for life itself. - Inspiration
- This collection of cultural products revolves around the astronaut’s perspective, inspired by the famous image of Earth as a tiny, lonely blue dot captured by the Voyager spacecraft. It reflects humanity’s curiosity about the universe and the importance of looking back at our home, Earth. Through astronaut-themed designs, these products aim to ignite interest in astronomy and inspire reflection on our relationship with each other and the planet.
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