Lord Qu: Redefining Traditional Snack Bars with Modern Design

Visual Identity that Showcases Quzhou's Food Culture

Based on the original intention of the design, Lord Qu is built around a snack expert image with personality and story, establishing an exclusive intellectual property for the brand. The cultural prototype for the design is Confucius, with the chignon designed into the shape of a bun. Drawing inspiration from the beloved Kame Sennin character, Lord Qu creates an IP image that resonates with young consumers.

The designers combine the IP image of Lord Qu with classic historical symbols such as the flying dragon, Confucius Temple, Xiangyun, and allusions. Linear cartoons are used as carriers to build dialogue scenes between Lord Qu and the food IP. This not only conveys the product and brand value but also carries the profound connotation of Chinese food culture.

In terms of design realization, Lord Qu utilizes props to strengthen the brand's visual identity. The designers make full use of the pig nose visual hammer, developing exclusive pig nose steamers for the tableware, pig nose lamps, and pig nose backrest seats in the space. These elements create a strong link between the product and the brand, enhancing the exclusive brand design.

The project, which started in January 2018 and finished in September 2018, was carried out in Hangzhou. The design team, led by Siyu Xu, included Youjia Gu, Gaoyang Duan, Miao Pan, Yuting Wang, and Xin Wang. Their goal was to fill the market gap for a quality breakfast category brand, specifically for steamed stuffed buns.

Lord Qu's design presents a challenge of quickly capturing consumers' attention for a new brand. To address this, the designers strategically used the pig nose, extracted from two black pigs, as a brand visual hammer symbol. This unique and memorable element helps Lord Qu stand out in the market.

Lord Qu's design has been recognized with the Bronze A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration, and Visual Communication Design category in 2020. This award honors designs that exhibit strong technical and creative skills, contributing to quality of life improvements and making the world a better place.