Gold Packaging Design · 2025
Menhao Tea Archival Collection Case
- A' Design Award 2025 Gold Winner in Packaging Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Shenzhen Chushan Design Culture Group Co., Ltd.
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 188,019
- Verification code A13B506FA6 · Verify this award
About Menhao Tea Archival Collection Case
Menhao Tea is a packaging system for tea, shaped as an archival collection case. The design maps six tea categories on a phylogenetic tree, with origin coordinates, craft timelines and flavor scales. Each inner capsule states geographic coordinates, tree age and processing details, replacing vague tasting terms with measurable values. The case is made of washable kraft paper and closes with a cotton cord, so the box can be reused. Bronze and silver foil stamping marks tea branch motifs and parameters. Each box holds 66 sachets of 3.6 grams.
Positioned within the contemporary East Asian tradition of elevated packaging design that transforms functional containers into objects of contemplation and collection, Menghao Zeng's Menhao Tea Archival Collection Case demonstrates remarkable synthesis of heritage tea culture values with modern structural innovation, the work employing a book-form opening mechanism that conceptually links the experience of tea appreciation with scholarly pursuits and archival preservation, the restrained terracotta palette achieves sophisticated warmth through deliberate limitation, allowing material quality and surface treatment to communicate rather than chromatic complexity, the dendritic tree diagram embossed across the primary face functions as both decorative element and conceptual framework, its branching structure suggesting the organic development of tea expertise, the genealogical transmission of craft knowledge, and the patient temporal processes through which fermented teas achieve their valued characteristics, technically the execution demonstrates precise die-cutting, registration accuracy in the debossed elements, and thoughtful consideration of how the package performs during the unboxing ritual, the typography balances traditional calligraphic forms with contemporary information hierarchy, presenting essential details regarding tea variety, vintage year, and philosophical positioning in clear organized columns that reward close examination, the choice of uncoated matte cardboard connects sensory experience to natural origins while providing surface quality conducive to embossing techniques, contextually the work participates in broader movements within luxury packaging that emphasize restraint, materiality, and narrative depth over superficial embellishment, inviting viewers to consider how the vessel that contains precious goods might itself embody the values of patience, cultivation, and time-honored tradition central to artisanal tea culture.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- This innovative system visualizes tea cultivation through biological phylogenetic trees, mapping six major tea categories with terroir coordinates, craft evolution timelines, and flavor matrices. The archival case uses washable kraft paper for extended utility, resonating with academic aesthetics in study environments. Each inner capsule details geo-coordinates, tree age, and processing parameters, synchronized with a traceable quality DB to empower scientific tea selection for Menhao Tea.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Each box contains 66 pre-measured sachets (3.6g/sachet) scientifically calibrated for dedicated teapots, achieving ideal infusion strength through single brew optimization for Menhao Tea.
- Tags
- Archive, Tea, Pu'er, Philosophy, Theory
- Production Technology
- The closure system with cotton cord reinforcement and washable kraft paper enables sustainable reuse cycles. Bronze gold hot foil stamping creates tea-branch motifs as visual anchors, complemented by silver foil parameter indicators and tactile sticker overlays that enhance visual hierarchy - establishing an archival-grade gift system balancing academic rigor and modern aesthetics for Menhao Tea.
- Design Challenge
- By integrating archival design elements and heritage materials, this system transforms tea selection from sensory intuition to data-driven decisions, shifting Menghao Tea culture from ambiguous traditions to measurable quality benchmarks.
- Project Duration
- The project was launched in Shenzhen, China in November 2024 and fully implemented by January 2025.
- Operation Flow
- The archival cord-sealed closure system transforms each unboxing into tactile document retrieval ritual. This material narrative bridges historical tea research with contemporary consumption scenarios, creating sensorial archive access points for Menhao Tea.
- Research
- The research aims to establish a scientific decision-making model for tea consumption through dual approaches: visual semiotic translation and material lifecycle testing . By quantifying intangible heritage techniques into measurable craft parameters, this initiative demystifies tea culture while innovating an archival paradigm for consumer goods.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by 19th-century botanical archives, this system decodes tea evaluation through scientific visual metrics. Chromatic scales, quantified flavor indicators , and origin traceability codes replace ambiguous descriptors like "mellow sweetness", constructing a verifiable decision-making framework for Menhao Tea selection.
- Image Credits
- Image : Photographer Wang yue, Menhao Tea , 2024.
Colors of Menhao Tea Archival Collection Case
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