Guanzhan × Tigerpan｜Designing the shape Every millimeter matters

China began consuming fish maw over 2,500 years ago. The swim bladders of deep-sea fish are rare in themselves, especially in ancient times when technology was not advanced. As a result, fish maw has always been a tribute reserved for the royals, and this is where the “Guanzhan” （官栈）brand originates.As a leading brand in Chinese nourishment, under its existing visual brand standards, Guanzhan has yet to develop its unique container design language. This is the significance and original intention of this packaging design upgrade. We hope it will be a triumphant fusion of traditional Chinese cultural symbols with contemporary aesthetic values.

The design inspiration for the Guanzhan container comes from a cross-temporal encounter. The “Yu Cong”（玉琮）, with its inner circular and outer square structure, is one of the essential ceremonial objects in ancient China, simple in design yet opulent. We extracted the shape of the “Yu Cong” rather than replicating it. By integrating it with Guanzhan’s products, we achieved a more contemporary expression and eventually arrived at a super-elliptical columnar structure. This design better suits the curvature of the human hand’s grip, providing consumers with an easier opening and a more comfortable gripping experience. In terms of layout, we preserved the unique “line energy” from Chinese typography, cleverly utilizing the negative space between characters to create a harmonious and easily readable design. The subtleties attest to the “official orthodoxy” of Guanzhan’s fish maw.

“Chinese culture needs to be confident and natural.” The modern Chinese design we seek embraces both tradition and innovation, inclusivity and adaptability. As a leading brand in new Chinese nourishment, balancing the inheritance of traditional Chinese culture with modernity is both an inevitable path and a responsibility.