Dou Gong 書体 by Shanghai Kuyekuye Technology Co., Ltd

Dou Gong 書体 by Shanghai Kuyekuye Technology Co., Ltd is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 A' Design Award 銅賞 in グラフィックス・イラストレーション・ビジュアルコミュニケーションデザイン Competition Category.

銅グラフィック· 2026

Dou Gong 書体

by Shanghai Kuyekuye Technology Co., Ltd

Client: Kuyekuye

A' Design Award 銅賞 Winner in グラフィック 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 書体

「斗栱（Dou Gong）書体」は、中国伝統の木造建築をタイポグラフィのシステムとして再解釈した作品である。ほぞ組み（mortise and tenon）の接合技法から着想を得て、文字はモジュール状の構造要素として機能する組み合わさったストロークによって構成される。このデザインは三次元的・空間的な応用へと展開し、建築とタイポグラフィを架橋する。構造の論理を柔軟かつ現代的なビジュアル言語へと変換する、手法主導のアプローチを提示している。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銅賞

Dou Gong 書体は、創造性、独創性、鋭い洞察力で際立つ傑出したデザインに授与される、高い権威をもつ評価である A' Design Award 銅賞の受賞作品です。銅賞の受賞作品は、十分に巧みで印象的なほど創造的な工芸品であり、デザイナーの豊富な経験、想像力、機知を裏づけています。Dou Gong 書体は、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される品であり、顕著にプロフェッショナルで革新的であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 銅賞を受賞したデザインは、芸術・科学・デザイン・技術のベストプラクティスを取り入れており、細部への配慮に優れています。Dou Gong 書体は、ニーズを見事に満たし、欲求に触れ、感情を魅了し、好奇心を引きつけます。

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