Press Release
Stolen Moments Incense Brand by Yerong Chen Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
Yerong Chen acknowledged for graphics, illustration and visual communication design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 17, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Stolen Moments Incense Brand by Yerong Chen has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within 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 evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Bronze A' Design Award
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 Stolen Moments Incense Brand
Stolen Moments is a packaging and brand identity system for seasonal incense. The design introduces intentional pauses into fast paced daily life. A continuous visual line, inspired by Song Dynasty floating thread calligraphy and drifting smoke, carries the rhythm of the identity. Four seasonal scents are offered in three incense lengths of 7, 14 and 21 centimeters, so a length can be chosen to match the time available for a pause. The boxes are made from uncoated FSC certified paper, offset printed and die cut for precision.
Award Record
With this recognition, Yerong Chen is a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award
The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Entries typically include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. Awarded graphic designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/graphics
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission 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. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated 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. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates 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, the upload of a work and the 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. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/174582
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/174582
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!174582
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/370887
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
- Stolen Moments Incense Brand
- Function
- Incense Brand
- Category
- Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Branding & Advertising and Arts
- Colors
- Black, Gainsboro, Dark Gray, Silver and Dark Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Yerong Chen
- Country
- China
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #174582
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Stolen Moments is a seasonal incense packaging and brand identity system designed to introduce intentional pauses into fast-paced modern life. Drawing inspiration from Song Dynasty floating-thread calligraphy and drifting incense smoke, the design employs a continuous visual line to convey rhythm and stillness. With four seasonal scents and varied incense lengths, it blends minimalist aesthetics with Eastern symbolism to create a meditative brand experience.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for Stolen Moments stems from Eastern philosophy of Qi and the floating thread calligraphy of the Song Dynasty. In an era of constant pressure, people are gradually losing the ability to pause. Incense, which connects time, space, and scent, offered a medium for intervention. I translated drifting smoke into a continuous visual line, creating a system where stillness can be seen, touched, and felt in daily life.
- Research
- This project is based on qualitative design research exploring how modern individuals perceive and manage time. The goal was to create a product that introduces calm into daily routines. Methods included user interviews, mood mapping, and incense ritual analysis. Data were collected from 15 participants aged 20 to 35. Findings revealed a strong need for structured mental pauses. The result is a system that translates time and mood into tactile, visual, and olfactory form.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was visualizing intangible concepts like time, breath, and stillness. Translating incense smoke into a coherent visual system required balancing cultural symbolism and minimalism. Another difficulty was ensuring line precision across print materials while using sustainable paper. It was also challenging to evoke emotional resonance without literal storytelling or user imagery.
- Realization and Technology
- The design was developed using vector-based illustration and typographic refinement, inspired by Song-style calligraphy. Packaging prototypes were created with FSC-certified uncoated paper using offset printing and die-cutting for precision. Line-based visual elements were engineered to ensure consistent reproduction across multiple media and scales, from incense boxes to brand collateral.
- Operation and Interaction
- Users select an incense length based on the time they wish to pause. Shorter sticks are used for brief moments, while longer ones are suitable for extended meditation. Lighting the incense initiates a sensory experience of sight, scent, and stillness. The curved line on the package echoes the shape of drifting smoke, reinforcing the rhythm of time. This interaction invites mindfulness and helps users reclaim quiet pockets in a busy day.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was developed as part of the “Commercial Design” course at Beijing Jiaotong University. It started in October 2024 and was completed in December 2024 in Beijing, China.
- Specifications
- The incense series comes in three lengths: 7 cm, 14 cm, and 21 cm. The corresponding box dimensions are 90 mm high by 40 mm wide, 160 mm high by 55 mm wide, and 230 mm high by 70 mm wide respectively. Packaging is made from uncoated FSC certified paper, with inner trays designed to hold incense sticks. Line art precision was tested across formats to ensure consistent visual reproduction.
- Keywords
- Incense Design, Visual Identity, Eastern Aesthetics, Minimal Packaging, Sensory Experience, Meditation Product, Line Art, Cultural Branding, Slow Living, Seasonal Ritual
