The Kaobei 文化振興カップ by Yen Chang Chen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 金賞 in 広告・マーケティング・コミュニケーションデザイン Competition Category.

金広告· 2026

The Kaobei 文化振興カップ

by Yen Chang Chen

Client: Yuan Ze University

A' Design Award 金賞 Winner in 広告 Category

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Verified Award Winner
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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About The Kaobei 文化振興カップ

文化振興カップは、現代台湾のポピュラーカルチャーの特徴的な要素を、目に見える文化的アーティファクトへと変換することを目指してデザインされました。ユーモア、風刺、社会批評を融合した広く認知されたインターネット現象に着想を得たこのプロジェクトは、口語的な言語がいかにしてプロダクトデザインへと翻訳され得るかを探求しています。デジタル文化と物理的な体験を橋渡しすることで、このデザインは文化的記憶を保存し、人々の参加を促し、地域のアイデンティティや集合的表現について考える身近な機会を提供します。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 金賞

The Kaobei 文化振興カップは、まさに素晴らしく傑出した第一級のデザインに授与される、計り知れないほど権威ある評価である A' Design Award 金賞の受賞作品です。金賞の受賞作品は、きわめて革新的で、先見性に富み、きらびやかに輝く創造物であり、デザイナーの天才性、叡智、卓越した技量を映し出しています。The Kaobei 文化振興カップは、最も称賛される、流行を牽引する記念碑的な発明であり、前例のない価値をもたらすことが期待されます。この A' Design Award 金賞を受賞したデザインは、壮観で尊敬されるプロジェクトであり、芸術・科学・デザイン・技術の境界に大きく寄与し、それを前進させます。The Kaobei 文化振興カップは、強い欲求を生み出し、情熱を呼び覚まし、創造性を促し、私たちを引きつけます。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: The KaoBei Cup is a ceramic design that transforms vernacular language into a functional communication interface. It goes beyond conventional products by integrating language, object, and social interaction into a scalable cultural system. By materializing informal expressions, it creates a new form of engagement that connects everyday use with digital sharing and cultural participation.
Dimensions & Packaging: Dimensions: approx. 90 mm (W) × 90 mm (D) × 100 mm (H); capacity approx. 300 ml.
Material: high-fired porcelain with glazed finish.
Production: slip casting with decal transfer printing and kiln firing.
Packaging: recyclable paper box with protective insert.
Series-based design with multiple typographic variations ensuring consistency and scalability.
Tags: vernacular design, cultural communication, language-based design, product system, emotional interaction, typographic design, social engagement, everyday object, cultural identity, design innovation
Production Technology: The KaoBei Cup is produced using ceramic slip casting with high-fired porcelain for durability and fine detail. The vernacular typography is developed through iterative graphic translation and applied using precision decal printing and kiln firing. The process integrates linguistic research, visual abstraction, and material prototyping to ensure consistency across series production.
Design Challenge: The main challenge was translating informal vernacular language into a culturally acceptable and functional design without losing its original tone. Balancing humor, sensitivity, and readability required careful iteration. Another difficulty was standardizing non-structured expressions into consistent visual forms for production. The project addressed these through linguistic analysis, typographic refinement, and prototyping, ensuring both authenticity and scalability.
Research: This project is qualitative design research exploring how vernacular language can be transformed into product-based communication. The objective is to materialize everyday expressions into interactive objects. Methods include linguistic observation, visual translation, and prototyping. Data were collected from daily speech and digital communication patterns. Tested through real-world use in cultural contexts. Results show increased engagement and sharing. Insights reveal language can function as a cultural interface, impacting design, communication, and cultural industries.
Inspiration: The KaoBei Cup is inspired by the everyday vernacular expressions widely used in contemporary communication, particularly those shaped by digital culture. These phrases, often casual, humorous, and emotionally expressive, have evolved into a shared linguistic system reflecting how people interact and connect in daily life.

The project explores how language can move beyond text and speech to become a tangible cultural medium. By transforming commonly spoken expressions into physical objects, the design materializes intangible communication and repositions it within everyday use.

The inspiration also emerges from the contrast between informal language and formal cultural contexts. Expressions that are typically considered trivial or marginal are recontextualized into designed objects, creating a dialogue between everyday culture and institutional spaces. This approach has been applied in museum and social communication settings, where the design enables audiences to engage with cultural content through familiar language and interactive experience.

Ultimately, the project is driven by the idea that design can translate ordinary language into a shared cultural interface, allowing people to express emotions, build connections, and reflect collective memory through everyday objects.
Project Duration: The project started in 2024 in Taiwan and was completed in early 2025. It was implemented in museum retail and social media contexts, where it was presented as part of cultural promotion initiatives. The design continues to be developed and expanded as a series-based product system.
Operation Flow: Users interact with the Kao Bei Cup through daily use, where each printed phrase expresses a specific emotion or attitude. The cup functions as a conversation starter, allowing users to communicate indirectly through language embedded in the object. Its interaction extends beyond physical use to social sharing, enabling engagement across both personal and digital contexts.