Press Release
Meituan Brand Design Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Waima Year of The Horse Beer Packaging in Packaging Design
Meituan Brand Design recognized for packaging design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 24, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Waima Year of The Horse Beer Packaging by Meituan Brand Design, designed for Meituan Waima, has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Packaging Design category. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
The Bronze A' Design Award Explained
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
Regarding Waima Year of The Horse Beer Packaging
Waima Year of The Horse is a limited edition beer packaging created for the Chinese New Year of the Horse. The glass bottle departs from the usual cylindrical beer form and takes an elegant shape, with a rounded middle section that tapers toward the neck and the base. Flying horses with spread wings are shown rising upward, linked by flowing red ribbons that express good wishes for the coming year. A 360 degree baked enamel finish covers the curved surface and gives the motifs a layered three dimensional texture and a rich luster.
About Meituan Brand Design
Meituan is a technology retail company. It practices the company mission of helping everyone "eat better and live better". Since its establishment in March 2010, Meituan has continued to promote the digital upgrading of service retail and commodity retail on the demand side and supply side, and worked with its partners to provide quality services to consumers. On September 20, 2018, Meituan was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Meituan has always been customer-centric and constantly increases investment in R&D of new technologies. Meituan will work together with everyone to better assume social responsibility and create more social value.
Award Record
Meituan Brand Design is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Packaging Design Award
The A' Packaging Design Award is an international packaging competition that recognizes outstanding packaging designs by talented packaging designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to packaging designers, graphic designers, branding agencies and product manufacturers from all countries. Typical entries include bottles, boxes, cans, pouches, tubes and cartons. The awarded packaging designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/packaging
About A' Design Award & Competition
Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/182051
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182051
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182051
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/380643
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Waima Year of The Horse Beer Packaging
- Function
- Beer Packaging
- Category
- Packaging Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Packaging & Retail, Branding & Advertising and Manufacturing
- Colors
- Black, Gray, Dim Gray, Dark Slate Gray and Maroon
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Meituan Waima
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Meituan Brand Design
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #182051
Credits
- Team
- Tan Qingkun, Xu Long, Cheng Ming, Ai Guohui, Xu Yulong, He Jianxun, Song Xuefeng and Zhang Guozhong
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The packaging is tailored for the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Horse. It captures the moment of the flying horse spreading the wings and ascending into the sky, conveying a wish that every endeavor finds its direction. Flowing red ribbons gracefully connect flying horses, which creates a coherent visual narrative and symbolically ties together heartfelt blessings, presented as a treasured gift. An innovative 360 degree baked enamel finish showcases premium quality and high artistic value.
- Inspiration
- 2026 marks the Chinese Year of the Horse, an animal that in traditional Chinese culture symbolizes self improvement and the courage to forge ahead. Inspired by that, the packaging centers on the flying horse spreading the wings and ascending into the sky. By capturing the moment of its leap, the packaging embodies the promise of a new beginning and the unfolding of momentum. Flowing ribbons represent heartfelt blessings and set a warm yet determined tone for the direction of the coming year.
- Research
- As the 2026 Year of the Horse approaches, the brand, inspired by the cultural symbolism of the horse in Chinese tradition, launches the limited edition packaging. Centering on the flying horse leaping with wings spreading, the design embodies upward momentum and clear direction. Red ribbons weave through the composition like drifting clouds and flowing water, binding disparate elements into a seamless whole. Together, they paint a hopeful and harmonious vision for the dawn of the new year.
- Challenge
- The challenge was achieving a 360 degree baked enamel finish. Unlike conventional labels or partial prints, the finish has to snugly fit the curved bottle surface. However, due to the varying curvature of the bottle, the baking process is highly prone to discontinuities and uneven thickness. The team has conducted repeated trials and optimized key parameters like temperature, coating thickness, and curing time, finally delivering precise detailing, consistent coloration, and smooth transitions.
- Realization and Technology
- Both the flying horse and ribbon motifs are rendered using a 360 degree baked enamel finish, ensuring excellent adhesion and a rich luster. This creates a contrast with the transparent glass bottle, achieving visual tension between lightness and weight. The horse is meticulously crafted to form a 3D texture with distinct layers and lifelike details. This transforms the entire bottle into a work of art, further elevating the collectible value and ceremonial significance of the product.
- Operation and Interaction
- Breaking away from the conventional cylindrical form of beer bottles, the packaging resembles an elegant wine bottle. It features a full, rounded middle section that tapers naturally toward the neck and base, enhancing the overall artistic aura through fluid curves. The composition emphasizes purposeful ascent and ordered dynamism: each horse is captured in a pose of spreading wings and leaping upward, interwoven with red ribbons to create a coherent, dynamic visual narrative.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in Beijing in October 2025. The product will be launched in China in October 2026.
- Specifications
- height 298.5mm diameter 86.9mm
- Keywords
- Beer Packaging, Limited Edition New Year Packaging, Flying Horse, Good Wishes, 360 Degree Baked Enamel Finish, Artistic and Collectible
