Tshù
Packaging Design
'Tshù', a term originating from Taiwanese dialect, means 'home'. This self-initiated project pays homage to my Taiwanese origin, and imagines a vintage pastry shop specialising in traditional Taiwanese desserts.
Three distinct packaging designs have been illustrated for traditional pastries given as gifts during significant festivals / special event: mooncakes, pineapple cakes, and bride cakes. Each illustration draws illustrations from myths associated with these desserts.
The legend of mooncakes customarily exchanged during the Mid-Autumn Festival, recounts the tale of the woman who drank the elixir rewarded by a heavenly goddess, thus ascending to the heavens and were drawn to the Moon, never to see her husband. The illustration poignantly captures this sorrowful woman before the Moon, accompanied by rabbits from the legend.
Pineapple cakes, available year-round, lack a specific associated folklore. Thus, the design draws from the Lunar New Year, a paramount festival symbolising renewal and prosperity for Taiwanese people. The illustration features the cakes centrally placed, surrounded by blooming flowers and tangerines (symbols of good fortune). Two fairies, depicted flying, convey an aura of good luck and blessings.
Bride cakes are only bestowed upon the marriage of a daughter. The illustration, therefore, depicts a bride's ceremonial journey in a sedan chair to her new home, guided by two red-crowned cranes, emblematic of elegance and purity.