Press Release
A' Design Award in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Goes to Bitter Plus Sweet Corporate Identity by Liying Wang
The international grand jury of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition recognizes Liying Wang for graphics, illustration and visual communication design
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 17, 2026 /DesignNewswire/ A' Design Award & Competition has announced that Bitter Plus Sweet Corporate Identity by Liying Wang has been granted the A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category. The recognition forms part of the 2025 - 2026 A' Design Award & Competition and was decided through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
What the A' Design Award Means
The Iron A' Design Award is awarded to good designs that meet the rigorous professional and industrial standards set by the A' Design Awards. This recognition is reserved for works that demonstrate a solid understanding of design principles and show creativity within their execution. Recipients of the Iron A' Design Award are acknowledged for their practical innovations and contributions to their respective fields, providing solutions that improve quality of life and foster positive change. These designs are a testament to the skill and dedication of their creators, showcasing their ability to address real-world challenges through thoughtful design.
More About Bitter Plus Sweet Corporate Identity
The Bitter plus Sweet corporate identity reimagines craft coffee aesthetics through a dual read monogram. Inspired by the duality of coffee, balancing strength and softness, the design merges a geometric heart with the brand initials. A structural B denotes bitter roasts, while an S conveys sweetness. Engineered on a strict mathematical grid, the scalable logo utilizes an organic palette of Espresso Brown and Sage Green. This approach subverts industrial cliches, engaging consumers with a rewarding hidden visual narrative.
About Liying Wang
Liying (Miko) Wang is a graphic designer and visual communication professional whose work focuses on translating complex ideas into clear visual narratives for business and technology audiences. She holds a Master’s degree in Graphic Design and Digital Media and an MBA with two concentrations in Data Analytics and AI. Her work spans brand systems, presentation design, and digital product concepts that connect design, data, and user experience. Wang has contributed to corporate communications, marketing initiatives, and innovation projects, including prototypes that explore how emerging technology can improve customer engagement.
Award Record
This recognition makes Liying Wang a winner of 2 A' Design Awards. The awards were granted between the 2022 - 2023 and the 2025 - 2026 editions of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design Award
The A' Graphic Design Award is an international graphic design competition recognizing good graphic designs by best creative agencies and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to graphic designers, communication designers, graphic artists and illustrators from all countries. Typical entries include logos, posters, infographics, brochures, packaging designs and business cards. The awarded graphic designs are published at https://dezigners.org/design-category/graphics
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
- Winner Page: https://dezigners.org/182029
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/182029
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!182029
- Laureate Profile: https://dezigners.org/d/330594
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://8t3.net/1014
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
- Bitter Plus Sweet Corporate Identity
- Function
- Corporate Identity
- Category
- Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Branding & Advertising and Arts
- Colors
- Gainsboro, Dark Olive Green, Saddle Brown, Olive Drab and Sienna
- Images
- 5
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Liying Wang
- Country
- United States of America
- Recognition
- A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2025 - 2026
- Design ID
- #182029
Credits
- Image Credits
- Creator Liying Wang, 2026.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The identity utilizes a double read principle, integrating a geometric heart with the brand initials. The left side forms a structural letter B representing the intensity of bitter roasts, while the right side forms a letter S for sweetness. Built on a mathematical grid, the logo ensures timeless scalability across physical and digital mediums. The palette of Espresso Brown and Sage Green avoids industrial platitude, offering an organic feel that appeals to craft focused consumers.
- Inspiration
- This project was inspired by the intrinsic duality of the coffee experience: the balance between strength and softness. The motive was to create a symbol conveying both technical precision and human warmth. Research into geometry and minimalist monograms led to a heart shape constructed from the letters 'B' and 'S'. The goal was to reward observant customers with a hidden narrative, moving beyond traditional coffee tropes toward a sophisticated, modern craft aesthetic.
- Research
- Exploratory research aimed to define modern craft coffee aesthetics. Methodology included visual audits of 15 local competitors and comparative testing of logo concepts. Data was collected via random surveys with local coffee drinkers. Results showed a 75 percent preference for organic geometries over industrial tropes. Insights revealed consumers crave hidden narratives, directly impacting the dual B and S heart design. This approach elevates brand business equity and modernizes local coffee culture.
- Challenge
- The hardest challenge was balancing rustic coffee tropes with a modern, socially-driven craft aesthetic. Internally, blending a rigid 'B' and 'S' into a recognizable heart required extensive iteration to avoid forced geometry. Externally, production constraints dictated the logo must remain legible across diverse media, from low-fidelity stamp printing on recycled packaging to crisp digital app icons, demanding strict, uncompromising adherence to the mathematical grid.
- Realization and Technology
- The design was developed using professional vector-based software, such as Adobe Illustrator and Figma, to ensure infinite scalability without loss of detail. A strict mathematical grid system was applied to the monogram to maintain perfect proportions across various applications, from small-scale social media icons to large-scale storefront window decals and embroidered textile merchandise.
- Operation and Interaction
- The brand interacts with customers through a discovery phase; the realization of the hidden letter B and letter S initials follows the initial recognition of a heart symbol. This engagement builds brand equity.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in December 2025 in California, U.S., and finished at the end of February 2026.
- Specifications
- This identity is built to ensure pixel perfect translation across digital screens and physical print. The logo is delivered in scalable vector formats and high resolution raster files. Brand guidelines define minimum sizing and clear space rules to guarantee legibility on applications ranging from small paper espresso cups to large storefront window decals and embroidered employee uniforms.
- Keywords
- Brand Identity, Logo Design, Coffee Shop, Geometric Design, Corporate Identity, Minimalism, Visual Communication
