DIDI FINANCE CULTURAL AND CREATIVE GIFTS
In the second half of 2021, my team and I, in collaboration with the marketing department, initiated a unique project: designing the first “cultural and creative gift box” for Juchang Financial. Our initial insight into this “cultural and creative” concept stemmed from the common perception that traditional financial company promotional gifts were overly branded and more like giveaways. These items lacked design appeal and were not closely tied to the company’s business. We believed that this user touchpoint could be better utilized from a communication perspective, and we hoped that this exploratory project would spark more possibilities around business, branding, and design.
核心概念提炼
In our design insight, we recognized that Chinese people enjoy giving blessings and gifts to friends and family during holidays. The most common association with “finance” is “wealth,” which is often directly linked to “money.” If our gifts could symbolically tie into “wealth,” it would not only be clever but also meet the public’s expectation for a gift that carries wishes for prosperity.
“Give wealth with a gift, wealth comes from the box.” This concept naturally led to the creation of the idea: “The Box Brings Wealth.” This gift box would carry our best wishes for the recipient’s fortune and would be closely aligned with our business.
主题概念的符号化
Symbolization of the Concept
Pierce’s classic semiotic theory states that any creative symbol consists of three parts: “representatum,” “interpretant,” and “object.” We hoped that by setting up a creative symbol, we could prompt reflection, imagination, and resonate with our audience’s values.
In our concept, the “box” was chosen to be square, symbolizing containment and aggregation, while “wealth” was directly associated with money. We drew inspiration from ancient symbols such as “coins,” “cabinets,” and “window decorations,” and integrated these into the design, adding depth and significance to the imagery.
Considering the varied scenarios in which these gifts would be used, we also explored how to continue the symbolism through auxiliary graphics, ensuring the design remained cohesive across different product categories.
The final embodiment of this concept would be the product itself. The selection of product categories needed to be innovative and engaging without being impractical. Given the context of the pandemic at the time, we ended up selecting the following categories:
「盒气生财」盒体
Designing this concept and turning it into reality was a challenging process, requiring close cooperation with suppliers. We also considered alternative packaging styles, such as furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth) and other display methods, but due to factors like cost, timeline, and feasibility, we had to make some compromises. Let’s just say there were some tears along the way, but let’s start with an unboxing photo!
To enhance the overall narrative of the gift box, we designed a custom set of Chinese and English fonts. The inspiration for the font design came from the sharp, robust aesthetics of ancient bronze coins from the Spring and Autumn period. We extracted curves and pointed angles from the design of ancient coins and incorporated them into the typography, adding more detail and visual appeal.
The font style also incorporated elements of the Wei Bei script, known for its strong, unadorned form. Our characters follow the Wei Bei style but with modern tweaks, making it both timeless and contemporary.
「步步生财」丝巾
「风起财涌」折扇
「腰财万贯」腰带
The phrase “wealth at your waist” itself conveys a wish for prosperity, and we incorporated this idea into the belt design with a touch of humor. (In fact, this copywriting idea came from a belt I bought years ago on Taobao, so a special thanks for the inspiration!)
「罩财进宝」口罩
The phrase “wealth at your waist” itself conveys a wish for prosperity, and we incorporated this idea into the belt design with a touch of humor. (In fact, this copywriting idea came from a belt I bought years ago on Taobao, so a special thanks for the inspiration!)
「财愿达成」御守、「币然有财」钱币
The amulet is a traditional item that carries blessings. We designed this amulet to allow users to write their own wealth wishes on a card and place it along with a customized commemorative coin inside the amulet, embodying the concept of “coins bringing wealth.”
身份卡
Each gift box was paired with an identity card, bearing a unique serial number. These were limited-edition, custom-made boxes, making each gift set feel personal and exclusive. The identity card added a layer of uniqueness to the gift, showing respect for the recipient.
This cultural and creative project was my team’s first foray into designing a creative gift box for Juchang Financial. It was a rare opportunity for an internet-based design team to participate in such a purely cultural project. I’m grateful to our partners for their trust and to my team for the collaboration.
