Dou Gong Función principal: Tipografía by Shanghai Kuyekuye Technology Co., Ltd

Dou Gong Función principal: Tipografía by Shanghai Kuyekuye Technology Co., Ltd is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award de Bronce in Deseño Gráfico, Ilustración e Comunicación Visual Competition Category.

BronceGráfico· 2026

Dou Gong Función principal: Tipografía

by Shanghai Kuyekuye Technology Co., Ltd

Client: Kuyekuye

A' Design Award de Bronce Winner in Gráfico Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #181648

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Dou Gong Función principal: Tipografía

Texto do libro: A tipografía Dou Gong reinterpreta a construción tradicional chinesa en madeira como un sistema tipográfico. Inspirándose nas unións de caixa e espiga, os caracteres fórmanse mediante trazos entrelazados que actúan como elementos estruturais modulares. O deseño exténdese cara a aplicacións tridimensionais e espaciais, tendendo unha ponte entre a arquitectura e a tipografía. Introduce un enfoque baseado no método que transforma a lóxica estrutural nunha linguaxe visual flexible e contemporánea.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award de Bronce

Dou Gong Función principal: Tipografía gañou o A' Design Award de Bronce, un recoñecemento altamente prestixioso outorgado a deseños sobresaíntes que se distinguen pola creatividade, o enxeño e a sagacidade. Os gañadores Bronce son artefactos amplamente hábiles e sorprendentemente creativos que autentican a vasta experiencia, imaxinación e enxeño dos seus deseñadores. Espérase que Dou Gong Función principal: Tipografía sexa un obxecto moi apreciado, admirado e querido, notablemente profesional e innovador. Este deseño gañador do A' Design Award de Bronce incorpora as mellores prácticas da arte, a ciencia, o deseño e a tecnoloxía, e é excelente pola súa atención ao detalle. Dou Gong Función principal: Tipografía satisfai espléndidamente as necesidades, toca os desexos, encanta os sentimentos e atrae a curiosidade.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Inspired by Dou Gong, the ancient Chinese timber bracket system, this typeface translates structural intelligence into typography.

Built without nails or glue, Dou Gong relies on interlocking mortise-and-tenon joints. The typeface follows this logic: strokes interlock, overlap, and brace rather than simply connect.

Each glyph acts as a modular framework, reflecting the spatial rhythm and load-bearing logic of traditional architecture.

Structure becomes form. Form becomes language.
Dimensions & Packaging: The character set includes letters, numbers, punctuation, and core Chinese glyph prototypes. Built on a modular grid system with consistent stroke ratios. Initial release includes Regular weight.
Tags: Structural Typography, Brand Identity System, Mortise-and-Tenon Logic, Sustainable Design Thinking, Architectural Inspiration, Corporate Typeface, Parametric Construction
Production Technology: The typeface was developed using a structural construction methodology inspired by traditional mortise-and-tenon logic. Stroke intersections are designed as interlocking nodes rather than overlapping paths. Kerning was iteratively refined, and a grid-based proportional system was applied for optical corrections. Variable-weight prototypes were used to test structural balance and consistency.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was translating three-dimensional architectural compression logic into both three-dimensional and two-dimensional typographic construction while maintaining legibility. Balancing historical structural principles with digital font production constraints required multiple iterations. Vector geometry and optical correction limitations added further refinement challenges.
Research: Type of Research: Practice-based design research.
Research Objectives: To translate architectural structural logic into a typographic system.
Methodology: Structural analysis, modular prototyping, iterative testing.
Data and Tools: Architectural documentation review, vector modeling, grid simulation.
Participants: Internal design team testing brand applications.
Results: A modular, interlocking type system.
Insights and Impact: Confirmed that structural intelligence can inform type design.
Effect: Advanced brand system thinking and sustainable design methodology.
Inspiration: Inspired by Dou Gong, the iconic bracket system of traditional Chinese timber architecture.

Originating in the Western Zhou Dynasty and flourishing through the Tang and Song periods, Dou Gong functioned as a structural, seismic, ornamental, and symbolic element in Chinese architecture for over 3,000 years. Built entirely without nails or glue, it relies on precise mortise-and-tenon interlocking joints—each component bearing weight through compression and balance.
Project Duration: The project started in March 2024 in Shanghai and was completed in May 2025 in Beijing. Structural research was conducted concurrently with brand development, and the typeface was implemented across corporate visual identity applications upon completion.
Operation Flow: The typeface functions as a modular system. Designers can assemble letters using interlocking principles to create mutually supportive visual structures. Structural relationships remain stable at any scale, allowing flexible application across posters, brand identity, and environmental graphics. The structural rhythm enhances visual impact while maintaining legibility. The system enables consistent and dynamic brand expression.
Team Members: Xusong Wang
Xiao Dong
Yi An