Pocket Heritage Set roter Umschläge by Mingzhi Cai

Pocket Heritage Set roter Umschläge by Mingzhi Cai is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award in Eisen in Geschenkartikeldesign Competition Category.

EisenGeschenkartikel· 2026

Pocket Heritage Set roter Umschläge

by Mingzhi Cai

Client: Mingzhi Cai

A' Design Award in Eisen Winner in Geschenkartikel Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #180415

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Pocket Heritage Set roter Umschläge

Pocket Heritage ist eine Sammlerserie roter Glücksumschläge, die für das Jahr des Pferdes geschaffen wurde. Der Entwurf verwandelt den traditionellen roten Umschlag in ein tragbares Medium des kulturellen Erzählens und überträgt Bildmotive von Tempelmärkten und Shehuo-Aufführungen in ein einheitliches Figurensystem. Jeder Umschlag misst 90 mm × 170 mm und wird auf perlglänzendem Spezialpapier mit fünf farbigen UV-Druckfarben gedruckt. Ausgewählte Motive erhalten zusätzlich eine Blindprägung mit Goldfolie. Jede Packung enthält sechs zufällig aus vierunddreißig Motiven ausgewählte Umschläge, was zum Tauschen und späteren Präsentieren als kleine Kunstdrucke anregt.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Eisen

Pocket Heritage Set roter Umschläge ist Gewinner des A' Design Award in Eisen, einer prestigeträchtigen Anerkennung für gute Designs, die die beruflichen und industriellen Anforderungen erfüllen, die an gut gestaltete Schöpfungen gestellt werden. Eisen-Gewinner zeigen großes Können, hohe Spezialisierung, fachkundiges Verständnis und die kreative Kapazität ihrer Schöpfer. Von Pocket Heritage Set roter Umschläge wird erwartet, dass es eine hochgeschätzte, bewunderte und geliebte Schöpfung ist, die praktisch und innovativ ist. Dieses mit dem A' Design Award in Eisen prämierte Design integriert bewährte Branchenverfahren und weist kompetente technische Merkmale in Verbindung mit Know-how und Talent auf. Pocket Heritage Set roter Umschläge wird für seine Gründlichkeit geschätzt und ist darauf ausgelegt, Verbesserungen der Lebensqualität zu liefern, die dazu beitragen, die Welt zu einem besseren Ort zu machen.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Pocket Heritage transforms the red envelope into a portable heritage medium for New Year and ceremonial gifting. A unified Year of the Horse character system ensures clear recognition while reinterpreting Shehuo performance culture in a contemporary format. Printed on pearlescent specialty paper with five color UV inks, selected designs also feature embossed relief with gold foil to create vivid color shifts and tactile depth. Each pack contains six randomly mixed envelopes to encourage exchange, collecting and continued use as keepsake prints.
Dimensions & Packaging: This project is a collectible red envelope series. Each retail pack contains six randomly mixed envelopes selected from a set of thirty four designs to encourage exchange and storytelling. Envelope size is 90 mm x 170 mm. The envelopes are printed on pearlescent specialty paper with high contrast graphics for strong legibility and tactile appeal. Selected editions include embossed relief with gold foil. Used envelopes may also be kept and framed as decorative prints.
Tags: Intangible Heritage, Temple Fair, Shehuo, Red Envelope, Cultural Communication, Year of the Horse, Character Design, UV Printing, Pearlescent Paper, Collectible Gift Set
Production Technology: Five color UV ink printing on pearlescent specialty paper creates vivid color shifts and a tactile surface. Selected designs feature embossed relief with gold foil to add raised detail and a ceremonial finish. The character artwork follows a unified visual guide to maintain consistency across the Year of the Horse series. Prototyping included print proofing, finish testing and iterative layout adjustment before final production.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was translating traditional Chinese temple fair and Shehuo culture into a contemporary collectible format without losing authenticity. The project needed to balance historical reference, visual clarity, tactile richness and production consistency at the same time. Another difficulty was building a unified character system from diverse cultural sources while keeping each design vivid, readable and suitable for printing, gifting and long term display.
Research: Cultural and user centered design research. The objective was to translate temple fair and Shehuo heritage into a coherent Year of the Horse character system that is easy to recognize and share. Methods included visual comparison of classical painting records, relic imagery and contemporary festival documentation, followed by iterative character development, print proofing and user feedback with art students. The result was a thirty four design series with strong tactile identity, collectible value and improved cultural recall.
Inspiration: This project was inspired by the visual energy of Chinese temple fairs and Shehuo performances. It rethinks the traditional red envelope as a portable medium for Year of the Horse cultural storytelling. Research compared classical painting records and relic imagery with contemporary festival documentation. Through collaboration with art students and iterative development, the design established a consistent character system and transformed heritage references into a vivid, tactile and shareable gift format.
Project Duration: The project was developed from May 2025 to January 2026 in Bazhou, Langfang, Hebei, China. Research and co creation workshops were conducted with art students during the development process. Print prototyping, material testing and final production were completed with local manufacturing partners. The series was then prepared for market presentation and distribution.
Operation Flow: Users select a red envelope from the pack and present it during New Year celebrations or ceremonial gatherings. The tactile surface encourages handling and close viewing. Because each pack contains six randomly mixed designs, people naturally compare, exchange and discuss the characters and their cultural meanings. After use, the envelope can be kept, displayed or framed as a small decorative print, extending both its function and emotional value.
Patents: Copyrights belong to Mingzhi Cai, 2026.
Image Credits: Image #1: Creator (Content Design) Mingzhi Cai and Illustrator Siya Zhang, Pocket Heritage, 2026.
Image #2: Creator (Content Design) Mingzhi Cai and Illustrator Siya Zhang, Pocket Heritage, 2026.
Image #3: Creator (Content Design) Mingzhi Cai and Illustrator Siya Zhang, Pocket Heritage, 2026.
Image #4: Creator (Content Design) Mingzhi Cai and Illustrator Siya Zhang, Pocket Heritage, 2026.
Image #5: Creator (Content Design) Mingzhi Cai and Illustrator Siya Zhang, Pocket Heritage, 2026.
Video Credits: Videographer Mingzhi Cai, Pocket Heritage, 2026.