Press Release
Utsuroi Sake Packaging by Maho Sekizuka Receives the Silver A' Design Award in Packaging Design
Maho Sekizuka recognized for packaging design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 19, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Packaging Design category for Utsuroi Sake Packaging by Maho Sekizuka, designed for Takeda Shuzo Co., Ltd.. The award was conferred within the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
Regarding Utsuroi Sake Packaging
The design of this set of three Daiginjo aged sake bottles combines innovative slit-animated packaging with artisanal craftsmanship. The dynamic logo transitions illustrate the brewing years of 2004, 2012, and 2019, while the act of opening symbolizes the sake's aging process. Clear varnish and silver foil seals enhance the unique amber hues of each vintage. Balancing elegance and cost efficiency, the minimalist design highlights the intrinsic beauty of sake, offering a profound and timeless experience for recipients.
About Maho Sekizuka
A designer from Kamo City, Niigata Prefecture. After graduating from high school, they studied visual design at Kuwasawa Design School and spent 10 years working as a graphic designer in Tokyo. Later, they returned to their hometown, engaging in activities to preserve and promote traditional papermaking techniques while acquiring the skills to produce "Kamo Paper." Currently, they work as a designer at Prograf Co., Ltd., offering comprehensive direction that integrates design, printing, and paper processing. They are committed to creating value for society through designs that emphasize regional characteristics and diversity.
Award Record
This recognition makes Maho Sekizuka a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
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/165941
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/165941
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!165941
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/361015
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://mahosekizuka.jp
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Utsuroi Sake Packaging
- Function
- Sake Packaging
- Category
- Packaging Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Packaging & Retail, Branding & Advertising and Manufacturing
- Colors
- Dark Slate Gray, Dark Gray, Light Gray, Dim Gray and Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Takeda Shuzo Co., Ltd.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Maho Sekizuka
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #165941
Credits
- Image Credits
- Maho Sekizuka, 2021.; Maho Sekizuka, 2021. Video Credits: Maho Sekizuka, 2021.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- This set of three Daiginjo aged sake bottles features innovative slit animated packaging with changing logos to indicate the brewing years 2004, 2012, and 2019. Opening the box reflects the flow of time. The bottle seal highlights the progression of years using varnish and silver foil. The design emphasizes the amber color of sake, deepening with each vintage, adding a new layer of enjoyment to the sake experience.
- Inspiration
- This product, limited to just 100 sets, aims to create a striking package that avoids classical styles and remains free from conventional constraints. It is designed to allow sake enthusiasts to focus on the tasting experience and fully enjoy a luxurious time for themselves. The package subtly communicates that it contains a set of sake from three different vintages. Despite keeping printing and processing costs low, the package maintains a significant presence suitable for gifting. These conditions, including the naming, were all carefully considered in the design.
- Research
- This research explores innovative packaging that transcends traditional boundaries, enriching the sake experience. Slit animation symbolizes time's passage upon opening, with varnish and silver foil on bottle seals highlighting the amber beauty of vintages. Stripping away decorations, the design emphasizes sake’s intrinsic charm. By balancing costs with luxury, it delivers exclusivity, ideal for gifting and creating memorable moments.
- Challenge
- Achieving new concepts involved trial and error, applying slit animation to evoke the passage of time. Cost management balanced high-end design and budget limitations through careful material selection. The box design ensures ample white space and durability. Offset printing with double sumi ink achieved deep black sleeve animation. Bottle seal varnish highlights the vintage's amber beauty, fine-tuned for gloss. Packaging focuses on enriching the user’s luxurious sake experience.
- Realization and Technology
- Specifications: Double printed with black ink + OP varnish. Gift box: Double printed with black ink + OP varnish. Material: PP transparent 0.25. Gift box: CB 270g/EF (single-sided white, C5).
- Operation and Interaction
- Using the principle of slit animation, opening the sleeve showcases the brewing years shifting from 2004 to 2012 and then to 2019. This conveys the concept of the passage of time from the moment the box is opened. The seals on the bottles represent the flow of time through the use of varnish and silver foil. The design eliminates decorations to emphasize the amber color of the sake, which becomes richer with each vintage.
- Project Duration and Location
- This product was released on Friday, November 19, 2021, in a limited edition of 100 sets by Takeda Shuzo in Ogata, Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture.
- Specifications
- Width 300 mm x Depth 232 mm x Height 64 mm
- Keywords
- GraphicDesign, Utsuroi, PackageDesign, Branding, Sake, VintageSake, Katafune, Joetsu, Niigata, Japan
