Press Release
Fumiko Okazeri Receives the Bronze A' Design Award for Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine in Packaging Design
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Fumiko Okazeri for packaging design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 24, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine by Fumiko Okazeri, designed for fodesign Inc., has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Packaging Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2025 - 2026 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 assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the Bronze A' Design Award Means
The Bronze A' Design Award is given to outstanding designs that showcase a high degree of creativity and practicality. It recognizes the dedication and skill of designers who produce work that stands out for its thoughtful development and innovative use of materials and technology. These designs are acknowledged for their professional execution and potential to influence industry standards positively. Winning this award highlights the designer's ability to blend form and function effectively, offering solutions that enhance people's lives and wellbeing.
More About Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine
From Wakayama, Japan comes an aromatic plum wine and a refreshing plum wine jelly. Inspired by the concept of cultural exchange and encounters rooted in Chinese tradition, the design expresses a distinctly Japanese sensibility through soft textures and delicate illustrations. When the two bottles are placed side by side, they create a scene of a man and woman meeting-captured within the packaging design. As a gift from Japan, blessed with majestic mountains, the sea, ocean breezes, and brilliant sunlight, it accompanies joyful gatherings in faraway China.
About Fumiko Okazeri
A design studio that values thorough hearings to uncover the essence of each business and product, and a commitment to deep thinking beyond the surface. We specialize in creating results-driven designs unconstrained by a fixed style. Incorporated in 2025, the studio has earned numerous accolades both in Japan and abroad, ranging from design awards to business recognitions.
Award Record
This recognition makes Fumiko Okazeri a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. All of the awards belong to the 2025 - 2026 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. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to packaging designers, graphic designers, branding agencies and product manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include bottles, boxes, cans, pouches, tubes and cartons. Awarded packaging designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/packaging
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission 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. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated 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. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates 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, the upload of a work and the 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. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/176284
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/176284
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!176284
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/371995
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Wakayama Umeshu Series Plum Wine
- Function
- Plum Wine
- Category
- Packaging Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Packaging & Retail, Branding & Advertising and Manufacturing
- Colors
- Sandy Brown, Burly Wood, Light Gray, Wheat and Tan
- Images
- 5
- Client
- fodesign Inc.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Fumiko Okazeri
- Country
- Japan
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #176284
Credits
- Image Credits
- Illustrator Yuri Mizutani
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- In introducing Japanese sake to the Chinese market, the design aimed to express authentic Japan. The packaging is simple yet refined, employing soft colors, grand landscapes of Wakayama, and clean Japanese typography to convey its atmosphere. The illustration, crafted by layering cut paper, adds depth of color and texture. When two bottles are placed together, they depict the meeting of a man and woman, embodying the concept of enjoying sake through encounters and connections.
- Inspiration
- Wakayama is Japan’s top plum producer, known for thick flesh and rich aroma. Its umeshu is acclaimed worldwide for flavor and fragrance. In China, fruit liqueurs and low-alcohol drinks are rising in popularity, with Japanese sake especially loved by the young. Family and friendship are deeply valued, and sharing drinks embodies such moments. This project began with the wish to offer sake that accompanies happy times with supportive friends.
- Research
- We researched China’s drinking culture and why Japanese alcohol is welcomed there. To reassess the essence of Japaneseness in design, we revisited packaging and visuals seen daily in stores, analyzing them with fresh eyes. This led us to reinterpret cultural subtlety, the beauty of empty space, and the elegance of hiragana and kanji, incorporating these qualities into the package design and product naming.
- Challenge
- Translating a concept rooted in Chinese exchange culture into a distinctly Japanese expression was not simple. Through repeated discussions with the client, we deepened mutual understanding, seeking a balance that embraced the continent’s passionate sensibility while retaining a soft, delicate Japanese touch. Layered paper illustrations and the gentle textures of frosted bottles and label stock gradually built up a refined sense of Japaneseness.
- Realization and Technology
- The frosted bottle, chosen for its gentle impression, is paired with a label finished in velvet PP. Its silicone-like texture offers both a pleasant touch and a sense of luxury. The sealing label combines muted gold foil with a matte surface, achieving refinement while retaining softness. Overall, the design emphasizes a gentle impression, enhancing the concept with a strong sense of storytelling.
- Operation and Interaction
- The rich, aromatic flavor of umeshu and the refreshing, springy texture of umeshu jelly can be enjoyed in different scenes, allowing you to choose according to your mood and occasion.
- Project Duration and Location
- It was exported and sold in Hangzhou, China in November 2022.
- Specifications
- Width 60 mm x Depth 60 mm x Height 295 mm
- Keywords
- Simple design, emotional expression, paper collage illustration, human connection, encounter theme, Wakayama nature, Japanese culture, serene moment, warm atmosphere, handcrafted texture
