Hanyun Gu and Yibing Hu · CLIENT: Charlene Classic
Charlene 10 Years is a commemorative gift box created for the tenth anniversary exhibition of a jewellery brand. The box takes the form of a fan case and measures 260 by 95 by 40 millimetres. An opening structure recalls a window, echoing an earlier exhibition theme. The exhibition theme is embossed in green on the surface, and the brand slogan is embossed in silver on the lid. Inside are a main volume, a supplement, a bamboo fan in a white box, a paper invitation and a bamboo painting card. The supplement uses traditional accordion binding and unfolds to ten metres.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The elegant name for a fan, "Ren Feng," implies the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, as well as the elegance of poetry, music, and odes. This concept serves as the creative theme for Charlene Classic and represents a unique emotional symbol used to interpret the values shared by the brand and its users. They are using jewelry as a medium to promote Chinese culture and supreme philosophical wisdom.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Size: 260*95*40mm.
We designed a book box in the shape of a fan case with the theme of "Benevolent Breeze Presented in a Box". It adopts an opening structure like a window (qǐ yǒu), echoing the brand's first exhibition theme of "Opening the Window to Admire the Splendor". Inside the white fan box is a green all-bamboo fan. The supplement is in the traditional Chinese accordion binding and unfolds to be as long as 10 meters. - Tags
- Oriental aesthetics, reading experience, book design, cultural dissemination, bamboo, painting scroll
- Production Technology
- While retaining the traditional form of paper invitations, the designer uses a fan as the main invitation for the event. The fan can not only represent the sentiment and taste of the fan holder, but also be used as a token to convey emotions. It will also be an exhibition souvenir. The designer takes the "Wonders of Xiao and Xiang" by Mi Youren, a painter of the Southern Song Dynasty, as the design concept of the entire set of books - summarizing the ancients' evaluations of this painting into four sections and carefully arranging the reading experience after opening the book box according to this structure. In the book case are the main volume, the supplement, the bamboo fan and box, the paper invitation and the bamboo painting card. Readers create an atmosphere of the poetic home of Eastern literati step by step through the rich changes in craftsmanship, materials and different papers during reading.
- Design Challenge
- The core of design is to convey "The Benevolent Breeze Spreads" and show the "elegant charm" of the Orient. We conceived from two aspects.
Outside: "Benevolent Breeze Presented in a Box". In research, we found ancient people used fine fan cases. We set the album theme as this and designed a book box like a fan case. For the structure, inspired by the brand name "Xuan" (meaning window), we added an opening structure for a window-opening feel, responding to the 2017 exhibition theme. Hoping Charlene keeps spreading Eastern culture.
Inside: "Spreading the Elegant Way". We suggest using a fan as the main invitation while keeping paper invitations. A bamboo fan, implying "there is bamboo at the origin", corresponds to two series. We want materials inside to draw on traditional Chinese binding forms. Albums, cards, and invitations should convey oriental charm through printing and paper texture. Overall, we aim to show the elegance of the Orient through design. - Project Duration
- In July 2023, it started in Beijing. The project ended in October 2023. In November 2023, it was exhibited in Shanghai, Beijing and London in succession.
- Operation Flow
- It appears in the form of a commemorative gift box in the exhibition. It helps the on-site audience better understand the brand story, history and development, and get to know the brand products more quickly.
- Research
- How to convey the brand concept with the "Benevolent Breeze Series" as the core in the tenth anniversary exhibition is the focus of the design. In the first round of proposals, we took "The Benevolent Breeze Spreads¹" as the thinking direction of the design. Among them, "Benevolent Breeze" implies the meanings of "benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust; elegance, poetry, music, and praise." "Spreads" represents dissemination and promotion. We hope that through design, we can express Charlene's vision of spreading Eastern culture to the world like "The Benevolent Breeze Spreads." In addition, we also hope that when people receive this set of books, they can receive a strong breath of Eastern culture.
- Inspiration
- We designed a book box in the shape of a fan case with the theme "Ren Feng Presented in a Box." The structure mimics an open window, echoing the theme of the brand's first exhibition, "Open Xuan to View the Splendor." The book box's surface features the exhibition theme "Bamboo Shadows and Elegant Fans Presented by Xuan" embossed in green, with the brand's slogan embossed in silver on the left side of the lid.
- Image Credits
- Photography: Xinlong Zhang, Yunpeng Fu, Shasha Lu
Post-production: Xinlong Zhang, Yunpeng Fu, Shasha Lu
Picture: CHARLENE High Jewellery Workshop
Imperial Palace Fan Collection Design: Carina Yen, Jason Koo, Yuan He
Bamboo Fan Collection Design: Yuan He, Yingwan Sun, Hanshu Lai
Video: CHARLENE High Jewellery Workshop
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