We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Qianying Niu about their original and creative Liquor design work. Qianying Niu is an award-winning communication designer, that makes our world a better place with their original liquor works.
Qianying Niu ("QN") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Bamboo Slips Liquor. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
QN : This design centers around Zen, using black as the main product color to emphasize purity and profoundness. The package uses bamboo slips as material. Opening the liquor package is like opening a bamboo slip in ancient China. Inside the package is a Chinese poem, The Decree of Wine, which is carved on bamboo slips. The design blends the cultural reading experience with the purity and excellence of the liquor together, uncovering the rich story which blossoms at every sip of the liquor.
QN : This design is based on two motifs: the bamboo slips were used by ancestors to document and spread Chinese musical and ritual culture in a paper-lacking era. Second, originated from a small town Cang-Shan, the liquor requires years to distill, echoing the ancient philosophy that rewards come with patience.
QN : The award-winning design is a motivation for me, encouraging me to create more packaging designs with Chinese cultural characteristics and to establish a presence for excellent Chinese packaging designs in the world.
QN : Approximately more than 2 months.
QN : This artwork is a design I created in pursuit of inspiration. I hope to create the first Chinese liquor to use a non-label design. All the materials of the design are sustainable and reusable, which solves the recycling dilemma common to the liquor industry. The creative challenge in this design is using bamboo slips wrapped around a delicately created Chinese liquor bottle to blend culture, zen, and sustainability together.
QN : This piece is a conceptual design and will not be used for printing and production. However, I welcome any manufacturers who are interested in the concept of my work to collaborate with me.
QN : Chinese liquor culture has a long history, and I am very interested in packaging design for alcoholic beverages. This design uses bamboo slips wrapped around a delicately created Chinese liquor bottle to blend culture, zen, and sustainability together. This is also the first Chinese liquor to use a non-label design.
QN : Many internationally renowned packaging design studios have greatly inspired me, such as Backbone Branding, Landor, Mousegraphics, etc. The Chinese designer I admire the most is Professor Deng Xiongbo from ShenZhen Lingyun Creative Packaging Design.
QN : The audience who enjoys drinking Baijiu (Chinese white spirits) and appreciates Chinese ceremonial music and culture.
QN : This is the first Chinese liquor to use a non-label design. All the materials of the design are sustainable and reusable, which solves the recycling dilemma common to the liquor industry. Blending bamboo slips, calligraphy, and carefully orchestrated bottle shape, the design aims to bring back both reading and drinking cultures central to Asian people. The design connects history, ancient Chinese calligraphy, sustainable material, and zen culture together.
QN : Bamboo Slips Liquor, as the name suggests, is a white spirits packaging made using bamboo slips as the packaging material.
QN : I used design tools such as AI, Photoshop, Cinema 4D, etc.
QN : The most unique aspect of this packaging design lies in its user experience. Opening the liquor package is like opening a bamboo slip in ancient China. Inside the package is a Chinese poem, The Decree of Wine, which is carved on bamboo slips. The design blends the cultural reading experience with the purity and excellence of the liquor together, uncovering the rich story which blossoms at every sip of the liquor.
QN : From conceptualization to showcasing the final results, I personally completed all the steps.
QN : Technological assistance helped me realize the conceptual work in the best possible way.
QN : I researched the use of sustainable design in the Chinese packaging industry and analyzed reports on recyclable materials like bamboo slips.
QN : This is the first Chinese liquor to use a non-label design. All the materials of the design are sustainable and reusable, which solves the recycling dilemma common to the liquor industry. The creative challenge in this design is using bamboo slips wrapped around a delicately created Chinese liquor bottle to blend culture, zen, and sustainability together.
QN : The Italy A' Design Award is internationally renowned, highly recognized, and attracts significant attention. I hope that through this platform, more people will be able to see my design.
QN : The process from the initial concept of a creative idea to its actual output is fascinating. When I start working on bringing it to life, there are many unpredictable changes along the way. Finally, when the design is completed, there is a great sense of accomplishment. I hope my design can showcase a part of Chinese culture and national history to people all over the world.
QN : I hope to connect with more friends through this platform. If you like my design, you can follow my social media accounts: https://www.instagram.com/niugraphiks/
