Press Release
Junk Paradise Collectible Figures by Yawen Qiang Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
Yawen Qiang honored for toys, games and hobby products design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 25, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ Junk Paradise Collectible Figures by Yawen Qiang has been granted the Bronze A' Design Award in the Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The award was conferred within the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached 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.
Regarding Junk Paradise Collectible Figures
Junk Paradise is a series of collectible figures based on animal characters and short stories. Each figure shows a character with a small imperfection that is turned into a playful strength. Popo the porcupine makes popcorn to cover his prickles so he can hug his friends. Sushi the pelican runs a whale watching cruise for river fish that fear the sea. The characters were modelled as digital sculptures, prototyped by resin printing and then cast in resin. Layered spray painting and hand painted details complete each piece.
About Yawen Qiang
Yawen Qiang (Ducky) is a Los Angeles-based toy designer who earned her degree in Product Design from ArtCenter College of Design. She is currently working at Hangzhou Yangyang Lejia Cultural and Creative Co., Ltd. Skilled in both 2D and 3D development, she specializes in character design and storytelling, with a focus on translating emotions and narratives into toys. Her work is driven by a desire to bring people a moment of happiness in their busy lives.
Award Record
Yawen Qiang is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Award
The A' Toy Design Award is an international toy design competition recognizing good toy designs by best toy designers, manufacturers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to toy designers, game studios, industrial designers and hobby product manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include dolls, action figures, board games, puzzles, plush toys and educational toys. Awarded toy designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/toy
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/183308
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/183308
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!183308
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/381603
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
- Junk Paradise Collectible Figures
- Function
- Collectible Figures
- Category
- Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Kids
- Colors
- Gainsboro, Saddle Brown, Light Gray, Black and Steel Blue
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Yawen Qiang
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #183308
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Junk Paradise is a narrative-driven collectible toy series exploring character design and storytelling. Everyone in the story has little imperfection, but they have fun in unique ways to overcome it.Popo the porcupine makes popcorn to cover his prickles so he can hug his friends while Sushi the pelican runs a whale-watching cruise for river fish afraid of the sea. Through playful characters and small stories, the collection celebrates imperfection and encourages everyone to be themselves, reminding people that everyone shines in their own unique way.
- Inspiration
- My inspiration comes from my daily observation of friends and wild animals. I like noticing the small imperfections in people and how they deal with them in their own ways. By using animals and their natural traits, I turn these observations into characters and stories about friendship, imperfection and being comfortable with who you are.
- Research
- This project is grounded in a reflection on the societal pursuit of perfection and explores how design can celebrate individuality through imperfection. By translating this concept into character driven forms, the research investigates how subtle variations, emotional cues, and story telling can foster empathy and self acceptance. The work aims to create a space where users can recognize value in difference and connect with these characters that reflect diverse ways of shining.
- Challenge
- The main challenge was translating the concept of imperfection into forms that remain visually appealing and emotionally engaging. By exploring subtle asymmetry, irregular details, diverse poses, and nuanced facial expressions, the project seeks to express character and narrative while maintaining aesthetic harmony, allowing users to intuitively connect with the pieces.
- Realization and Technology
- The project began with narrative development and character design, where stories and characters were explored through sketches and storyboards. The characters were then translated into digital 3D sculptures using ZBrush. Prototypes were realized through resin 3D printing, followed by curing, hand sanding, and surface refinement. Then the pieces are casted with resin. Final pieces were completed through layered spray painting to create depth and gradients, complemented by hand-painted details.
- Operation and Interaction
- Junk Paradise creates a story-driven interaction that invites users to step into its world through observation, touch, and imagination. Defined by bold forms, expressive character design, and refined hand-crafted execution, each piece invites users to engage through subtle details and visual cues that suggest personality and narrative. The experience remains open-ended, allowing users to interpret, collect, and build personal connections, gradually revealing a quiet celebration of imperfection.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in April.2019 in Los Angeles and was completed in Aug 2019 in Los Angeles. Later the project was exhibited at Lightbox Expo in Los Angeles, Designer Con in Vegas and CTN in Burbank.
- Specifications
- Ducky, Duck, 20cm x 12cm x 11cm Popo, Porcupine, 15cm x 8cm x 18cm Sushi, Pelican, 16cm x 8cm x 16cm Snowball, Horse, 18cm x 22cm x 12cm Mr.All-Nighter, Raccoon, 13cm x 10cm x 16cm Nani ,Crocodile, 9cm x 15cm x 7cm
- Keywords
- Character Design, Story Telling, Art Toy, 3D sculpt, Whimsical, Narrative object, Junk Paradise, Designer Toy, Character Collection, Celebrate Imperfection
