6 months
Individual Project
2021
Skills:
3D CAD Modeling
Fusion 360
Blender
Realistic Rendering
Bamboo Liquor Bottle Redesign
Market Research
Bottle Design
Branding
Label Design
Prompt:
Design a fresh look for Zhu Ye Qing Bamboo Liquor.
Approach:
Create a bottle and label design that embodies its thousand year old royal tradition. Bridging design aesthetics between East and West, I wanted to create a bottle that could refresh its image, be internationally eye-catching for young consumers, instantly recognizable, and as much of a classic as the liquor within.
Existing bottle design. Image courtesy of Yue Hwa Chinese Products Emporium Ltd
The slanted bottle is shaped like a bamboo shoot. Eye-catching, and a riff on a standard bottle shape. Tying back into the bamboo motif, it also adds a touch of playfulness, recognizability, while remaining classic and modern.
I went and walked around liquor aisles in grocery stores and liquor stores to observe what bottle shapes stand out on a crowded shelf? What catches your eye, and just entices you to pick it up? How does its shape, weight, feel tie in to the brand or the liquor itself?
Market Research
&
Form exploration
I studied popular, iconic liquor and liqueur bottles both Western and Eastern. I paid attention to their defining geometry, how bottle motifs tied into the liquor brand, and what made them stand out.
Then I created thumbnail sketches to explore what a new Zhu Ye Qing bottle could look like.
Embossing Detail
To center Zhu Ye Qing's bamboo motif on the bottle, I referenced traditional Chinese bamboo paintings from the Song Dynasty all the way to modern times. From the local collections of the HKMOA to the Palace Museum's online archives, I found so many different ways of representing bamboo, including realistic portraits and metaphysical dreamscape type representations.
I ultimately combined different features throughout the dynasties to create a fusion of bamboo across time, art styles, into one hand drawn illustration.
Art History References
Final Candidates
& User Feedback
From the thumbnail explorations, I 3D modeled and rendered 4 final designs. I chose some familiar, practical silhouettes and some bolder, unconventional designs.
I then asked online users between ages 21-65 to identify their favorite design, and provide feedback on why.
Votes for Final Design
Design 1
Design 2
Design 3
Design 4
Over 100 international participants of all genders voted in my online poll to select a final design, and provided feedback.
In addition, I conducted user interviews through video conference sessions with several power users: bartenders, liquor enthusiasts, and frequent alcohol consumers between the ages of 21-65, this design's target audience.
All user testing was conducted remotely to work with COVID-19 restrictions.
Final Design
The angled bottle ultimately stood out the most, and was a user interviewed favorite. Participants frequently called it "unique", "elegant", and said it's a bottle they want to own. Many participants also noticed and enjoyed the nod to its bamboo origins. After adapting some suggestions from user interviews and editing the model, I polished this final iteration.
The final redesigned bottle is easy to pick up, hold, and pour. The embossing adds an extra sensory and visual experience, and a bamboo bottle cap adds to the textural richness of the bottle. A paper label makes it complete.
Acknowledgements
Every participant and interviewee who took the time to give this project feedback and advice.