Chinese Zodiac Typografie by Mengyu Cao is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Železná cena A' Design Award in Grafika Competition Category.

ŽelezoGrafika· 2021

Chinese Zodiac Typografie

by Mengyu Cao

Client: YiQi Hanzi

Železná cena A' Design Award Winner in Grafika Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Chinese Zodiac Typografie

Typografie čínského zvěrokruhu obsahuje 12 znaků. Krysa, vůl, tygr, králík, drak, had, kůň, koza, opice, kohout, pes, prase. Kombinuje čínskou kaligrafii a čínskou tradiční kresbu akvarelem. Designovým myšlením rozbíjí původní formy kaligrafie a harmonicky k nim přidává kreativní kresby, aby ukázal význam každé postavy v sobě. Čínské znaky vždy vypadají jako složité kresby pro lidi, kteří neumí čínsky. Účelem tohoto projektu je, aby čínské znaky byly srozumitelné pro každého, aby mohli šířit čínskou kulturu.

The Recognition

About the Železná cena A' Design Award

Chinese Zodiac Typografie je vítězem Železné ceny A' Design Award, prestižního uznání udělovaného dobrým designům, které splňují profesní a průmyslové požadavky očekávané od dobře navržených výtvorů. Železní vítězové prokazují velké dovednosti, vysokou specializaci, odborné porozumění a tvůrčí kapacitu svých tvůrců. Očekává se, že Chinese Zodiac Typografie bude vysoce ceněným, obdivovaným a oblíbeným výtvorem, který je praktický a inovativní. Tento design, který získal Železnou cenu A' Design Award, integruje osvědčené postupy odvětví a má kompetentní technické vlastnosti spojené s know-how a talentem. Chinese Zodiac Typografie je vážen pro svou důkladnost a je navržen tak, aby poskytoval zlepšení kvality života, která pomáhají činit svět lepším místem.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: The Chinese Zodiac project combines Chinese calligraphy and watercolor drawing to present each character with its meaning. With design thinking, it breaks the traditional Chinese calligraphy forms and adds creative drawings to it harmoniously to show the meaning of each character. Chinese characters always look like complicated drawings to people who don't know Chinese.This project is aimed to make it understandable to everyone to spread Chinese culture.
The 12 Chinese zodiac includes Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.
Dimensions & Packaging: This typography set can be used as culture posters as I shown with the images.
Tags: graphic design, Typography, creative drawing, Chinese Zodiac, Chinese culture, calligraphy, watercolor drawing, poster, posters
Production Technology: Chinese traditional calligraphy, Chinese traditional watercolor drawing
Design Challenge: Ideation is the hardest part of this project. How to merge animals form into the characters harmoniously that makes the most sense. It shouldn't break the traditional beauty of Chinese calligraphy. And it should enhance the beauty to show the meaning of the character in a fun way.
Research: Researched on Chinese calligraphy form of beatuy, Chinese traditional watercolor techniques, and culture behind Chinese Zodiac.
Inspiration: At the beginning of my design journey, I learned a lot of Chinese traditional culture. I was taught to have the mission to deliver valuable Chinese traditional cultures to the modern world, to enhance and spread it to the nation and the world.

I also found out there were not many creative creations around Chinese calligraphy compare to English lettering. I want to use my ability to design and drawing to explore more possibilities of the traditional assets, Chinese characters.
Project Duration: This project started in January 2020 in San Francisco and finished in August.
Operation Flow: This typography set can be used as physical or digital posters to promote Chinese culture. People can understand the meaning of each Chinese character when seeing the typography only without reading the description.
Team Members: Mengyu Cao