Iron Packaging Design · 2025
Stickman Brand Design
by Yitian Zeng
- A' Design Award 2025 Iron Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Stickman
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 10,171
- Verification code DC17658DD2 · Verify this award
About Stickman Brand Design
Stickman is a brand identity designed for a bubble tea shop in Kansas City. The identity is based on a friendly mascot character that represents the two main offerings of the shop, bubble tea and skewer snacks. The artwork was made with digital illustration and vector drawing, so the design can be scaled without loss of clarity. Stickman appears on banners, an illuminated sign, aprons, curtains, cups, straws and delivery bags, in metal, fabric and polypropylene. The intent is a warm and inclusive look for visitors of all ages.
Yitian Zeng's Stickman Brand Design engages the rich tradition of illustrated brand identity applied to ephemeral packaging substrates, positioning this beverage cup design within contemporary commercial visual culture that increasingly values personality-driven branding, narrative character development, and approachable aesthetic warmth as counterbalance to minimalist corporate sterility, the work participates in a broader movement across food and beverage industries toward brands that project friendliness, accessibility, and human connection through illustrative visual languages that recall hand-drawn craft traditions while employing digital production precision, this design demonstrates sophisticated understanding of how graphic identity must function across three-dimensional cylindrical geometry, a technical challenge that requires careful consideration of how typography and illustration wrap continuously around form, how visual hierarchy reads from multiple viewing angles, and how brand recognition occurs in rapid retail environments where products compete for attention across crowded refrigerated cases or service counters, the compositional achievement lies in establishing clear focal dominance through the central character illustration that serves as immediate brand anchor, supported by subordinate typographic and pattern elements that enrich without overwhelming, creating a visual system that balances memorable distinctiveness with organized clarity, the chromatic sophistication appears in the restrained palette that employs the fresh appeal of teal and mint tones associated with contemporary health-conscious beverage positioning, these cool hues suggest hydration, refreshment, natural ingredients, and clean formulation while avoiding the aggressive saturation that might read as artificial or juvenile, strategic warm accents in the peachy character face and golden citrus elements prevent coldness and inject approachability, the gradient transition from white to pale green demonstrates technical printing sophistication and creates subtle atmospheric depth on fundamentally flat substrate, the illustrative character at brand center projects welcoming accessibility through simplified geometric construction, friendly facial expression reduced to essential elements that maximize readability across scales and reproduction contexts, the burgundy cup topping the character's head creates clever self-referential visual play while the citrus flanking elements reinforce flavor and refreshment associations, the hand-drawn letterform pattern enriching the lower cup zone introduces textural complexity and artisanal connotation that humanizes industrial production, these decorative letters filled with internal embellishments suggest creative energy and playful personality while maintaining sufficient regularity to function as cohesive pattern rather than chaotic randomness, the typography demonstrates professional sophistication in balancing bold geometric sans-serif capitals that project contemporary confidence with smaller serif tagline that introduces traditional credibility and hierarchical differentiation, this dual typographic approach creates rich visual conversation between modern and classic, mechanical and organic, authoritative and friendly, the work succeeds in addressing the fundamental packaging design challenge of creating memorable brand presence on disposable substrate that exists briefly in consumer hands, transforming utilitarian service vessel into branded experience that extends identity memory beyond the consumption moment, technically the design demonstrates understanding of print production considerations including color separation, gradient rendering on porous paper substrate, registration tolerance for wrapped printing on formed cups, and how graphics must account for structural elements like rolled rims and seams, the piece invites consideration of how contemporary brands increasingly employ character-driven illustration to forge emotional connections with consumers, how packaging design functions as three-dimensional billboard in competitive retail environments, and how ephemeral disposable objects paradoxically carry substantial brand-building responsibility, what visual strategies enable small independent beverage brands to compete against corporate design resources through distinctive illustrative personality, and how does this work balance commercial imperatives of shelf visibility and brand recognition with aspirations toward design sophistication and aesthetic refinement that respects consumer intelligence while projecting accessible warmth.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Stickman, a bubble tea shop in Kansas City, opened in May 2024 with the slogan "bubble tea and stick bite." It quickly gained popularity for its cute brand design, high-quality tea, and snacks. The shop’s warm, inclusive service caters to all age groups, earning a 4.8/5 on Google reviews. Stickman’s visually engaging branding and customer-centric experience have attracted attention from local food media and influencers, establishing it as a key player in Kansas City's food scene.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- The Stickman brand design is applied on various in-store and promotional assets, including a 12 ft x 4 ft banner, 12 ft x 6 ft LED business sign, and printed materials such as aprons, curtains, cups, straws, and delivery bags. Materials used include metal, fabric, and polypropylene. The design is scalable, ensuring consistency and clarity across both physical products and digital platforms.
- Tags
- branding, shop, packaging design, illustration
- Production Technology
- The Stickman brand was created using digital illustration and vector design in Adobe Illustrator, ensuring scalability for various applications. The design process involved research into local food trends and customer preferences to align the visuals with the target audience. Emphasis was placed on a playful yet clean aesthetic, ensuring versatility across digital platforms, print media, and physical signage.
- Design Challenge
- The challenge was designing a brand that reflected Kansas City diverse cultural and economic landscape. While the city is known for its agricultural roots, it also has a growing multicultural food scene. Balancing this with the shop identity was key. Researching customer preferences across age groups ensured the brand resonated with the community diversity.
- Project Duration
- The project was done within 8 months and was launched officially in May 2024.
- Operation Flow
- The Stickman brand creates a seamless interaction between the customer and the shop identity. The friendly mascot and visuals immediately catch attention, making the experience fun and memorable. The consistent design across banners, signs, packaging, and uniforms enhances brand recognition. Customers easily associate the playful visuals with the shops high-quality service, creating a welcoming atmosphere that improves overall customer satisfaction.
- Research
- The research focused on local food trends, especially snack shops and tea places. Objectives included understanding customer preferences through interviews with various age groups and a 1 on 1 interview with the store owner to align the design with their expectations. Data collected informed the brand and customer service. The shop achieved a 4.8 out of 5 Google rating and highly recommended on Yelp, demonstrating the brands success in creating a memorable and diverse customer experience.
- Inspiration
- The inspiration for Stickman came from the desire to create a fun, approachable brand for all ages. The playful character and combination of bubble tea and skewer snacks represent the shop’s unique offerings. The design reflects Stickman’s mission of providing a warm, inclusive experience, symbolized by the mascot’s friendly expression. Local food trends and customer preferences were key to shaping the visual identity, ensuring it resonates with Kansas City’s diverse audience.
- Image Credits
- Image: Yitian Zeng, 2024.
Colors of Stickman Brand Design
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Grand Interview about Stickman Brand Design
To reach the balance between playfulness and professionalism, started with understanding the owner's vision. Through a series of conversations, I gathered insights into the atmosphere he wanted to create and the kind of experience he hoped customers would remember. He wanted the brand to feel welcoming, approachable, and memorable, without appearing overly childish.I also studied the visual landscape of bubble tea and snack brands throughout the Kansas City area. What I found was interesting: while each brand had its own personality and perspective, there was also a strong sense of inclusiveness and openness within the community. Rather than following a single trend, many successful brands embraced individuality while remaining accessible to a broad audience.This insight guided the design direction for Stickman. I introduced playful elements through the mascot and rounded forms, while maintaining clarity and consistency in the typography and overall visual system. The result was a brand identity that feels friendly and expressive, yet polished enough to support long-term growth and create trust with customers.
Much of Stickman's resonance can be attributed to the culture of Kansas City itself. During my research, I found a community characterized by openness, inclusiveness, and a genuine willingness to embrace new experiences. People appreciate brands with distinct personalities, yet they also value authenticity and accessibility. These cultural insights encouraged me to create a visual identity that feels playful, welcoming, and culturally inclusive. Rather than forcing a trend, the design aimed to reflect the spirit of the community, allowing the brand to naturally connect with people from different backgrounds and become part of the city's diverse food culture.
Ensuring consistency across various materials was less about scaling graphics and more about creating a cohesive brand experience. Throughout the process, I maintained close communication with the owner and developed a series of prototypes and application mockups, ranging from 12-foot storefront banners to packaging and delivery bags. These previews provided a comprehensive view of how the identity would behave across different touchpoints and enabled collaborative review before implementation.Taking a holistic approach allowed us to evaluate visibility, proportions, and emotional impact in context, rather than in isolation. This helped preserve the brand's playful and welcoming personality while ensuring a consistent visual presence across every medium.
The mascot actually originated from the owner's vision. At the beginning of the project, he came to me with a very simple hand-drawn sketch that represented his initial idea for the brand. Rather than replacing it, I saw it as a starting point and worked through multiple rounds of refinement and iteration to transform the concept into a cohesive character that aligned with his expectations.Throughout the process, my goal was to preserve the authenticity behind the original sketch while enhancing its personality and adaptability across different applications. The rounded forms, friendly expression, and playful interaction with the bubble tea and stick bites were intentionally designed to create a sense of warmth and approachability.In many ways, the character embodies the brand's core values of friendliness, inclusiveness, and joy. More importantly, it represents the collaborative spirit between the owner and the designer, turning a simple idea into a recognizable identity that customers can easily connect with.
I don't believe the success can be attributed to design alone. The owner's passion, local community support, influencer collaborations, and promotional efforts all contributed significantly to the brand's rapid growth. My role was to create a visual identity that felt warm, playful, and memorable. By using vibrant colors and a friendly mascot, the design aimed to evoke positive emotions and make the brand approachable to people of different backgrounds. In that sense, the design served as a bridge that helped transform curiosity into familiarity and encouraged customers to engage with the brand.
The unification actually started with the owner's vision. From the beginning, he shared his desire to create a brand centered around a memorable character while highlighting the store's signature offerings: bubble tea and various stick foods. Rather than treating them as separate categories, I looked for a way to connect them through a single personality.During the creative process, I explored how the character could naturally live within the bubble tea cup and interact with the stick bites. The intention was to transform the products from standalone items into elements of a larger story. By giving the mascot a cheerful expression and a sense of passion, the character became the emotional center of the brand rather than simply an illustration.This approach helped unify the different food offerings into one cohesive identity. Instead of focusing on the differences between bubble tea and stick foods, the design emphasized the joyful and welcoming experience they create together. The result is a brand system where the mascot, products, and visual language all work together to communicate the same friendly and energetic spirit.
Although the conversations were informal, they provided valuable insights into how different age groups responded to colors, characters, and overall brand personality. What surprised me was that people of different ages shared a similar appreciation for things that felt cheerful and welcoming. This encouraged me to develop a visual language that was simple, playful, and inclusive, allowing the brand to connect with a broad audience rather than targeting a single demographic.
Since many applications for a bubble tea store involve physical production, scalability was an important consideration from the beginning. Large storefront signage, banners, menus, packaging, and delivery materials all require artwork that can maintain clarity at different sizes.For this reason, I chose to build the entire visual system in Adobe Illustrator using vector-based graphics. Creating the mascot, icons, and supporting elements as vectors ensured that they could be reproduced consistently across both digital and printed media without losing quality.Beyond technical flexibility, I intentionally kept the shapes simple and recognizable. This allowed the identity to remain visually effective whether displayed on a social media post, a delivery bag, or a 12-foot storefront sign. The goal was to create a brand system that was not only expressive, but also practical and adaptable for future growth.
I believe strong brands are built on memorability, but they should never remain static. Iconic brands such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi have continuously refined their visual identities over time while preserving the elements that people already recognize and trust. Design naturally evolves alongside cultural trends, changing aesthetics, and new ways people interact with brands.For Stickman, I envision a similar approach. The friendly mascot and welcoming personality will remain the foundation of the brand, while the surrounding visual language can continue to evolve through subtle refinements and new applications. Rather than pursuing change for its own sake, I believe evolution should respond to people's expectations and the environment in which the brand exists.Going forward, I intend to stay attentive to design movements, consumer preferences, and especially the local culture and trends within the Kansas City community. By continuously gathering insights and observing how people engage with the brand, I hope to help Stickman adapt over time while preserving the warmth, inclusiveness, and joy that define its identity. To me, successful branding is not about preserving a fixed image, but about preserving a recognizable spirit while allowing the visual expression to evolve with time.
Kansas City's multicultural environment encouraged me to think about accessibility and inclusiveness from the beginning. Rather than relying on highly specific cultural references, I focused on design principles that could resonate with people from different backgrounds.Simplicity, friendliness, and emotional connection became the guiding principles throughout the project. Rounded forms, expressive illustrations, and vibrant colors were intentionally chosen to create a welcoming and approachable atmosphere. I wanted the identity to feel cheerful and memorable without becoming overly complex or tied to a particular style or demographic.At the same time, maintaining distinctiveness was equally important. The mascot, custom typography, and playful interaction between the bubble tea and stick food concepts helped give the brand its own personality. My goal was to create a visual language that felt universally inviting while still allowing Stickman to stand out within Kansas City's diverse food scene.Ultimately, I believe cultural resonance comes less from emphasizing differences and more from creating experiences that people can emotionally connect with. By focusing on warmth, joy, and approachability, the brand was able to communicate across cultures while preserving its own unique identity.