“A Matcha Gift Packaging That Measures Your Friendship” is inspired by “ichi-go, ichi-e”(いちごいちえ), a Japanese word that is associated in particular with the Japanese tea ceremony. It’s often translated as “one opportunity, one encounter,” meaning “treasure every encounter, for it will never recur.”
It’s been a cultural tradition that tea lovers would give their friends a tea set as a gift. And I wonder if this could be where we start to rebrand the tea culture. Here, I created a matcha (powdered green tea) gift packaging to redesign the gift-giving experience. The package features the term “ichi-go, ichi-e” as part of the very essence of tea culture. The package was also created in an interactive way to remind people that each single encounter is unique, and that each encounter will never recur in one’s lifetime. Therefore, every moment and relationship should be treated with the utmost sincerity.
It was one of the first words I learned from the art of tea ceremony: いちごいちえ (ichi-go, ichi-e). It’s a beautiful word because it expresses the complex sentiment of cherishing each unique encounter in life.
The packaging box
The package featured the term “Ichi-go, Ichi-e” in calligraphy and the illustration of some tea equipments for making a bowl of matcha. Before sending the gift, people can write down their and the gift receiver’ name in the brown areas.
With the two hollowed-out rectangles, names can be seen all the time with or without the lid.
The tea bag design
The matcha powder is individually vacuum-packed. On the package, it reads “Enjoy your tea with ______% of our relationship remaining.” There are 10 packaging bags in the box, and the last one looks different from the others with a message that reminds people that it’s time to send a postcard to your friend (the gift giver).
The back side design
After people receiving the gift, they’ll find a postcard printed on the bottom of the box.
