Tiantai Huangcha Hōʻailona Hōʻike Waihona by Zhejiang Gongshang University

Tiantai Huangcha Hōʻailona Hōʻike Waihona by Zhejiang Gongshang University is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 A' Design Award Kala in Hoʻolālā Kiʻi, Kiʻi Paʻi a me Kamaʻilio ʻIke Competition Category.

KalaKiʻi· 2025

Tiantai Huangcha Hōʻailona Hōʻike Waihona

by Zhejiang Gongshang University

Client: 天台县人民政府

A' Design Award Kala Winner in Kiʻi Category

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Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #152976

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Tiantai Huangcha Hōʻailona Hōʻike Waihona

He hoʻolālā hōʻailona hōʻike waihona a me ka hoʻolālā hoʻopili ʻo Tiantai Huangcha i hana ʻia no kekahi kī melemele o kekahi ʻāina. Hoʻohui ka hōʻailona i nā kiko a me nā kinona lau ma kekahi ʻōlelo kiʻi maʻalahi. Hōʻailona kekahi pōʻai hoʻokahi i ka ʻiʻo o ke kī. Hōʻike nā pōʻai ʻelua i ka launa ʻana ma waena o nā kānaka a me ke ao kūlohelohe. Hōʻike nā pōʻai ʻekolu i nā hoaaloha e noho ana a puni ka papaʻaina e kaʻana like i ke kī. He kiʻi lotus kī ma lalo e hoʻōho ana i nā kiko ʻekolu a hoʻopau i ka hōʻailona. Hoʻohana ka hoʻopili i ka sila ʻālohilohi ʻole me nā ʻau metala, a hahai ke ʻano o ka ipu kī i ke kinona o ka hōʻailona.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Kala

Ua lanakila ka hoʻolālā Tiantai Huangcha Hōʻailona Hōʻike Waihona i ka A' Design Award Kala, he ʻike hoʻohanohano nui loa i hāʻawi ʻia i nā hoʻolālā kiʻekiʻe loa, nani a kupaianaha. He mau hana ʻālohilohi loa a hana noʻeau nui nā lanakila Kala e hōʻike ana i ka loea, ka makakoho a me ka ʻoi aku o ka noʻonoʻo o kā lākou poʻe hoʻolālā. Manaʻo ʻia ʻo ka hoʻolālā Tiantai Huangcha Hōʻailona Hōʻike Waihona he hana kupaianaha, kūlana ʻoi aku, ʻoihana kiʻekiʻe a hou loa. ʻO kēia hoʻolālā i lanakila i ka A' Design Award Kala he mea hoʻokumu kūpono loa, mahalo ʻia e hāʻawi i ka pōmaikaʻi a hoʻoneʻe i nā palena o ka hana noʻeau, ka ʻepekema, ka hoʻolālā a me ka ʻenehana. He mea i ʻeleu ʻia e nā mea he nui ka hoʻolālā Tiantai Huangcha Hōʻailona Hōʻike Waihona e hoʻāla i ka makemake, lawe mai i nā manaʻo maikaʻi a hoʻāla i ka kamahaʻo a me ka mahalo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: The combination of dots shapes and leaves condenses the Buddhist meditation into a logo graphic with multiple meanings. The circle symbolises the essence of tea; the arrangement of two circles shows the interaction between man and nature; and the arrangement of three circles signifies the sharing and gathering of friends who are seated around a table to drink three cups of tea together.
The tea lotus graphic below the logo echoes the three dots above, ultimately constituting the complete logo.
Dimensions & Packaging: Round, crescent shaped tea canister: diameter 120mm*height 150mm (capacity 150-200g);
Tea tray: leaf-shaped design, length 200mm*width 100mm.
In packaging design, round tea canisters, crescent-shaped tea canisters, diagonally placed tea cups and leaf-shaped tea trays are the basic apparatus for tea tasting. At the same time, through the clever combination of the tea canister and the tea tray, it forms an isomorphic design that echoes with the logo graphic, which effectively strengthens the brand impression.
Tags: Brand Narrative, Brand Design, Symbolic Design, Sustainable Packaging, Regional IPs
Production Technology: Material Selection: The packaging is made of matte ceramic and metal handles, echoing the natural texture; balancing a sense of high-end with sustainability;

3D modelling: The tea canister form was modelled based on the logo graphic to ensure that the shape was consistent with the brand symbol. This creation, through the simple design, helps the brand to show the rich connotation, and leave a deeper memory and sense of identity in the user's mind.
Design Challenge: Cultural abstraction: how to transform Buddhist Zen into a universal symbol? This can be done by lowering the narrative cognitive threshold through a simple graphic with different numbers of circles, one circle, two circles and three circles;
Breaking barriers: how to balance high-end positioning and mass communication? Minimalist design of gifts and everyday scenes to strengthen the ‘scarcity + cultural value’ label;
Production: process cost control for complex shaped tea canisters, using modular moulds to reduce customisation costs.
Research: This project creates a brand image and packaging system for "Tiantai Yellow Tea". Centered on "Buddhist culture," the design blends Zen aesthetics with tea-making traditions. The main graphic combines dots and leaf shapes. The tea lotus below forms a "poet monk with clasped hands," reflecting the "tea and Zen" philosophy. The design balances cultural richness with efficiency, emphasizing the tea's rarity and premium status. The brand gained government recognition and media coverage.
Inspiration: We were commissioned by the government of Tiantai County, Zhejiang Province to design the brand identity and packaging for the local speciality tea 'Tiantai Huangcha.' As the birthplace of yellow tea, Tiantai Temple was asked to incorporate its concept of 'Tea Zen and One Taste' into the design; to transform the traditional process of sun-drying and drinking tea into visual symbols; and to integrate a variety of cultural imagery through geometric shapes that are easy to recognise and remember .
Project Duration: The project started its design phase in October 2022, was completed in April 2023 and officially released in May 2024.
Operation Flow: Unpacking Ceremony: The layered structure of the gift box needs to be opened in a specific order, simulating the Zen tea ceremony;
The combination of the tea canister and the tea tray enhances the sense of opening ceremony, which fits the needs of gift-giving scenarios, and the minimalist graphics reduce the cost of recognition, helping the brand to quickly enter new markets and strengthen the brand's memory. This minimalist symbol system can be expanded to tea utensils and cultural tourism products (such as meditation experience periphery) to continue the brand life cycle.
Team Members: Designer：Kan Zhao
Image Credits: Designer：Kan Zhao