Press Release
Breathscape Sensory Ritual System by Yezi Tang Wins the Bronze A' Design Award in Giftware Design
Yezi Tang honored for giftware design by the international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 23, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has confirmed the Bronze A' Design Award in the Giftware Design category for Breathscape Sensory Ritual System by Yezi Tang. The award was conferred within 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.
Regarding Breathscape Sensory Ritual System
Breathscape is a time-based system that translates tea culture into a guided breathing experience. Scent cards infused with tea extracts are organized according to daily time segments and organ associations derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Users select cards based on temporal rhythm and follow structured breathing guidance. A layered ceramic vessel is designed to collect ash during use, forming a closed material cycle. The system positions aroma as part of a repeatable behavioral process.
About Yezi Tang
Yefan Liu is a product and industrial designer working at the intersection of design, storytelling, and social responsibility. Her practice explores how objects, materials, and systems can foster emotional connection and ethical reflection.Her work has been internationally recognized by awards including the Red Dot Design Award, IDA, and DNA Paris Design Awards. As a juror, she approaches evaluation with rigor and openness, focusing on intention, context, and the lasting impact of design beyond aesthetics.
Award Record
Yezi Tang is a winner of 1 A' Design Award, including this recognition.
About the A' Giftware Design Award
The A' Giftware Design Award is an international gift design competition recognizing good gift designs by leading brands, manufacturers and designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to giftware designers, product designers, industrial design studios and giftware brands from all countries. Entries typically include candles, figurines, picture frames, decorative plates, ornaments and souvenirs. Awarded gift designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/giftware
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/181280
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/181280
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!181280
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/354092
- Further Information from the Laureate: http://www.ffantinc.com/breathscape/
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
- Breathscape Sensory Ritual System
- Function
- Sensory Ritual System
- Category
- Giftware Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Furniture & Home and Packaging & Retail
- Colors
- Gainsboro, Silver, Dark Slate Gray, Tan and Dark Olive Green
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Yezi Tang
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- Bronze A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #181280
Credits
- Team
- Yefan Liu, Fan Tang and Ziyu Chen
- Image Credits
- Photographer Yefan Liu, 2025. Post-Processing by Yefan Liu, Fan Tang, Ziyu Chen, 2025. Illustration Design Fan Tang, 2025. Video Production by Ziyu Chen, 2025. PDF Images by Yefan Liu, Fan Tang, Ziyu Chen, 2025.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- Breathscape is a time-based sensory ritual system using tea-derived incense cards mapped to organ cycles inspired by Traditional Chinese Medicine. Unlike conventional aromatherapy, it structures scent selection according to daily rhythm rather than instant effect. The system integrates breath, material transformation, and cyclical ritual closure, forming a behavioral loop from perception to renewal.
- Inspiration
- Breathscape was inspired by the growing condition of cognitive overload, digital fatigue, and fragmented daily rhythms in contemporary life. Drawing from Traditional Chinese Medicine, the project explores the relationship between time, organ cycles, and tea culture. Instead of ingesting tea, Breathscape translates tea aroma into a non-ingestive sensory ritual. The motivation was to reinterpret ancient temporal body wisdom into a structured, low-effort practice suitable for modern lifestyles.
- Research
- Type of Research: Practice-led design exploration. Research Objective: To translate Traditional Chinese Medicine time-organ theory into a contemporary daily ritual. Methodology: Literature review, material experiments, scent testing, and prototyping. Participants: 15 adults tested usability and scent perception. Results: Time-based scent selection increased ritual consistency and awareness of daily rhythm. Insights: Traditional philosophy can guide sustainable, low-energy daily practices without medical claims.
- Challenge
- The primary challenge was translating Traditional Chinese Medicine without presenting medical claims. Balancing cultural authenticity with contemporary neutrality required careful abstraction. Material experimentation was complex, as tea-based incense needed structural stability and clean combustion. Another challenge was designing a ritual system that feels structured yet flexible, avoiding prescription while maintaining coherence.
- Realization and Technology
- The scent cards are fabricated from layered paper infused with refined tea extracts, allowing controlled combustion and stable aromatic diffusion. The ceramic vessel features a dual-layer structure, separating flame and ash to ensure safety and ritual completion. Printed materials use recycled paper and biodegradable inks. The system integrates meridian mapping, time-based structuring, and behavioral ritual sequencing into a cohesive physical framework.
- Operation and Interaction
- Users select a scent card according to the time of day and corresponding organ cycle. The incense card is placed in the upper vessel and lit gently. As aroma diffuses, users follow guided breathing and reading prompts. After completion, ash is collected in the base. The ritual concludes by returning ashes to soil, symbolizing emotional release and renewal. Interaction is slow, intentional, and cyclical.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project was developed over a six-month period from July 2025 to January 2026 in Atlanta, New York, and Washington. The process included concept development, material testing, scent refinement, prototyping, and user feedback sessions.
- Specifications
- Ceramic Vessel: 120 mm x 120 mm x 150 mm, integrated ash compartment Scent Cards: 100 mm x 50 mm, upright totem-like form Packaging: Sequential unfolding structure guiding step-by-step ritual interaction Materials: Ceramic, layered paper infused with tea extracts, recycled paper, biodegradable inks Functional Properties: Controlled combustion, stable ash collection, no electricity required
- Keywords
- Sensory Ritual, Tea Culture, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Time Based Design, Organ Resonance, Sustainable Ritual, Behavioral Design, Aromatic System, Circular Design, Mindful Practice
