Skip to content

Press Release

DesignNewswire · COMO, Italy ·

Tamausagi Bottled Japanese Tea by Hisamichi Kasai Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Packaging Design

Hisamichi Kasai honored for packaging design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 24, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Silver A' Design Award in the Packaging Design category for Tamausagi Bottled Japanese Tea by Hisamichi Kasai, designed for Shunbin inc.. The award was conferred within the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who scored anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

About the Silver A' Design Award

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

About Tamausagi Bottled Japanese Tea

Tamausagi is a bottled Japanese tea brewed with Uji Gyokuro, a tea made with the traditional Uji method of Kyoto. The bottle has a simple form inspired by wabi-sabi, the Japanese aesthetic of simplicity. The symbol is a rabbit that guided the guardian god of Uji. The bottle depicts a moonlit night with thin clouds, a reference to the Gyokuro method of shading tea leaves from the sun. Gold decoration with a rough texture and a subdued gleam is applied. The black bottle blocks light and protects the tea. A circular window in the box reveals the rabbit symbol.

About Hisamichi Kasai

Born in Tokushima in 1982 and currently lives in Osaka. After working at an advertising agency, I joined Shunbin Co., Ltd., a design consulting firm in Kyoto, in 2012. I am engaged in a wide range of design work including CI, VI, packaging, web, architectural signage, and sales promotion tools, focusing on corporate and product branding design. Strives to draw out the essential charm of clients and create designs that reflect their identity.

Award Record

With this recognition, Hisamichi Kasai is a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted in the 2023 - 2024 edition of the A' Design Award & Competition.

About the A' Packaging Design Award

The A' Packaging Design Award is an international packaging competition that recognizes outstanding packaging designs by talented packaging designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to packaging designers, graphic designers, branding agencies and product manufacturers from all countries. Typical entries include bottles, boxes, cans, pouches, tubes and cartons. The awarded packaging designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/packaging

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is 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. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously 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. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which 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, uploading a work and receiving a 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. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

###

Fact Sheet

The Work

Project
Tamausagi Bottled Japanese Tea
Function
Bottled Japanese Tea
Category
Packaging Design
Discipline
Communication Design
Industry
Packaging & Retail, Branding & Advertising and Manufacturing
Colors
Black, Silver, Dark Slate Gray, Dark Olive Green and Dim Gray
Images
5
Client
Shunbin inc.

The Recognition

Laureate
Hisamichi Kasai
Country
Japan
Recognition
Silver A' Design Award
Edition
2023 - 2024
Design ID
#157774

Credits

Team
Nobuyuki Muro, Rina Yatsugaki and Yoshihiro Yamamoto
Image Credits
Shunbin Co., Ltd.

Design Details

Unique Properties
Tamausagi is a bottled Japanese tea brewed with "Uji Gyokuro," a tea produced using Kyoto's traditional Uji tea manufacturing technique. Japanese tea is often served for free in many restaurants in Kyoto and all over Japan. We developed Tamausagi to provide delicious tea to increase the value of Uji tea and to promote its production.
Inspiration
The bottle has a simple form inspired by Japan's aesthetic of simplicity, known as wabi-sabi. The symbol comes from a rabbit, which guided the guardian god of Uji and looked back to ensure the god was following. The bottle's design, which evokes the image of a moonlit night with thin clouds, represents the Gyokuro tea's cultivation method of shading the leaves from the sun. Traditional Japanese patterns, reminiscent of Uji tea's long history, are incorporated into the clouds' design.
Research
We were conscious of the design to enhance and capitalize on the value of Japanese tea itself, which until now has been offered free of charge. Also, the design aims to create a brand of tea that can be served on special occasions, such as a welcome drink or as a non-alcoholic beverage for those who cannot drink alcohol at an event.
Challenge
Due to the risk of the bottle falling over during filling at the factory, it was necessary to adjust the shape of the bottle finely. The most challenging task was to balance functionality with art: to have a design that evokes the simplicity of Japan's beauty without impeding the filling process. Additionally, we spent significant time meticulously designing the bottle's visual appeal to ensure that it is beautiful from every angle.
Realization and Technology
To evoke the prestige and exclusive luxury of Kyoto, we applied special gold designs to the bottle. With a rough texture and subdued gleam, the gold exudes a strong presence. A black bottle, which blocks light, was used to protect the tea's quality. We added a circular window to the packaging to allow the rabbit symbol on the bottle to be seen. Inspired by the Gyokuro cultivation method of shading tea leaves from sunlight, we depict a moonlit night with thin clouds.
Operation and Interaction
Simply open the bottle and pour a glass to enjoy Japanese tea of the highest quality. The bottle design, with its rabbit motif, adds an elegant flair to the table, and when poured into a glass, the tea's beautiful, vibrant golden color catches your eye. The design is perfect for a special time with a loved one or as a gift.
Project Duration and Location
This brand was launched in Kyoto, Japan in September 2020.
Specifications
Bottle size: Diameter 52mm x Height 196mm Box size: Width 145mm x Height 242mm x Depth 75mm
Keywords
Tea, Japanese Tea, Green Tea, Uji Gyokuro, Package design

Good Design Deserves Great Recognition

Nominate Your Work for the A' Design Award.

Nominate