Horse Year Verpackung für Räucherstäbchen by Bingran Zhao

Horse Year Verpackung für Räucherstäbchen by Bingran Zhao is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award in Bronze in Verpackungsdesign Competition Category.

BronzeVerpackung· 2026

Horse Year Verpackung für Räucherstäbchen

by Bingran Zhao

Client: BeiHang University

A' Design Award in Bronze Winner in Verpackung Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Horse Year Verpackung für Räucherstäbchen

Horse Year ist eine Verpackungsserie für Räucherstäbchen. Im Mittelpunkt der Gestaltung steht das chinesische Schriftzeichen für Pferd in Siegelschrift, kombiniert mit der linearen Formensprache daoistischer Talismane und Rauchmuster. Fünf Varianten folgen einem Farbzyklus, der auf den Fünf Elementen Metall, Wasser, Holz, Feuer und Erde basiert. Die fünf Schachteln lassen sich nebeneinander anordnen und ergeben so das Bild eines galoppierenden Pferdes. Ein herausziehbarer Innenschuber gibt die Räucherstäbchen und eine Segensbotschaft frei. Unbeschichteter Karton, Druckfarben auf Sojabasis und ein Innenteil aus Formfaserstoff unterstützen die Wiederverwertung.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Bronze

Horse Year Verpackung für Räucherstäbchen ist Gewinner des A' Design Award in Bronze, einer hochprestigeträchtigen Anerkennung für herausragende Designs, die sich durch Kreativität, Einfallsreichtum und Scharfsinn auszeichnen. Bronze-Gewinner sind reichlich geschickte und auffallend kreative Artefakte, die die große Erfahrung, Fantasie und Findigkeit ihrer Designer belegen. Von Horse Year Verpackung für Räucherstäbchen wird erwartet, dass es ein hochgeschätztes, bewundertes und geliebtes Objekt ist, das bemerkenswert professionell und innovativ ist. Dieses mit dem A' Design Award in Bronze prämierte Design verkörpert bewährte Verfahren in Kunst, Wissenschaft, Design und Technologie und ist hervorragend in seiner Liebe zum Detail. Horse Year Verpackung für Räucherstäbchen befriedigt Bedürfnisse auf großartige Weise, berührt Wünsche, bezaubert Gefühle und spricht die Neugier an.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: This packaging series transforms the seal script Chinese character for Horse and the linear language of Daoist talismans into a contemporary visual system tailored for incense products. Through a color cycle derived from the generative logic of the Five Elements and the subtle integration of flowing 2026 curves the five variants are unified into a coherent narrative regarding time and blessing. The design merges ritual sensibility emotional experience and everyday usability enabling users to intuitively select incense according to their emotional state rather than engaging with the packaging merely as a decorative container.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 160 mm × Depth 40 mm × Height 70 mm
Tags: Incense packaging, Year of the Horse, Chinese zodiac, Five Elements, Daoist talisman
Production Technology: The packaging employs uncoated paperboard soy based inks and restrained hot stamping to emphasize the seal script visual while ensuring recyclability. Constructed through die cutting and folding the design utilizes a molded pulp inner tray instead of plastic. The graphic system is developed by vectorizing strokes from seal script and Daoist talismanic lines refined through rigorous prototyping and color calibration.
Design Challenge: The primary challenge lies in translating specific cultural elements like seal script the Five Elements and Daoist motifs into a contemporary global packaging language avoiding stereotypical Oriental imagery. Research balanced historical literature with youth aesthetic preferences selecting motifs that convey cultural depth without religious misinterpretation. Execution complexity arose from controlling fine lines on uncoated paper using soy based inks. Multiple proof iterations ensured both environmental sustainability and visual precision.
Research: This qualitative design study seeks to reintegrate traditional incense and Daoist culture into the daily lives of younger audiences. The research methodology synthesized literature reviews on Five Elements symbolism with competitive market analysis. Interviews and user testing with participants aged 20 to 35 investigated specific habits and aesthetic preferences. Findings revealed that minimalist narrative driven and emotionally expressive designs are preferred for gifting purposes. These insights directly informed decisions regarding the final form color system and copywriting strategy.
Inspiration: Inspired by Chinese incense culture this project celebrates the 2026 Year of the Horse through the Five Elements. The design condenses Eastern philosophy into packaging by blending the seal script horse character with Daoist talismans and smoke patterns. Hidden curves subtly form the number 2026. The color system follows the generative cycle of Metal Water Wood Fire and Earth. This chromatic logic connects five variants inviting users to select a fragrance and an auspicious intention for the day.
Project Duration: The project started in May 2025 in Beijing China and finished in November 2025.
Operation Flow: Users may first align the five individual boxes side by side to assemble a complete image of a galloping horse, and then select the incense corresponding to a particular color and Five Elements attribute according to their current mood or usage scenario. The packaging is opened by pulling out an inner tray, through which the incense and its associated blessing message are revealed simultaneously. This deliberately slowed opening action creates a brief "pre-ritual" moment before the act of lighting the incense.
After use, the outer boxes can be retained as modular desktop storage units or framed as decorative panels, allowing the packaging to continue functioning beyond a single-use context. In this way, the interaction extends beyond one-time consumption and encourages sustained engagement with the product and its cultural narrative.
Patents: Bingran Zhao
Image Credits: Image #1：Bingran Zhao
Image #2：Jiuxiao Cui
Image #3：Zhou