Interview about Utsuroi Sake Packaging, winner of the A' Packaging Design Award 2025
The design of this set of three Daiginjo aged sake bottles combines innovative slit-animated packaging with artisanal craftsmanship. The dynamic logo transitions illustrate the brewing years of 2004, 2012, and 2019, while the act of opening symbolizes the sake's aging process. Clear varnish and silver foil seals enhance the unique amber hues of each vintage. Balancing elegance and cost efficiency, the minimalist design highlights the intrinsic beauty of sake, offering a profound and timeless experience for recipients.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsThe slit animation embedded in the Utsuroi package was designed to convey the passage of time—not through technology or illustration, but through a simple, tactile motion triggered during the act of opening. As the user gently slides the outer sleeve, the year indicator changes, evoking the subtle yet constant movement of time itself. This visible transformation becomes an abstract metaphor for aging—a core element of sake itself.Rather than merely preserving sake in a box, I wanted the package to serve as a witness to time. The motion invites reflection, encouraging the recipient to feel the gap between when the gift was given and when it is finally opened. The device is simple, but intentional. By asking the user to interact physically—to draw time into motion with their own hands—it breathes life into what would otherwise be a static object.This design is meant not just to house a bottle, but to shape an experience: a poetic device that quietly connects sender and recipient across the years. It invites them into a small ceremony of memory and anticipation, making the moment of opening not the end of a gift, but the culmination of shared time.
For the vintages of 2004, 2012, and 2019, Utsuroi expresses the temporal depth of aged sake not through ornate decoration, but through restraint. To emphasize the subtle transformation across time, the year labels were printed solely with silver foil and clear varnish—deliberately omitting any excessive ornamentation. This visual economy reflects the quiet dignity of aged sake itself.The clear varnish was designed to reveal itself only under shifting light, making the year appear almost ethereal. Because of this delicacy, we were especially careful about the balance of transparency and contrast—ensuring the print would be perceptible without being overpowering. I personally attended the printing sessions, collaborating closely with the press technicians to make countless subtle adjustments to ink density, foil pressure, and finish quality until every layer aligned as intended.Printing, often considered a technical step, became a deeply sensory and intuitive part of the design process. We weren't just transferring ink onto paper—we were attempting to give visible form to something typically intangible: the gentle accumulation of time. The year—barely visible, yet undeniably present—emerges quietly through silver and light, offering a poetic representation of maturation, memory, and the beauty of restraint.
During my time in Kamo, observing the traditional process of washi paper-making left a quiet but lasting impression on how I approach design. It wasn’t about technique—it was about attitude. I was struck by the rhythm of repetition, the stillness of labor, and the profound attention to every invisible detail that makes the final piece speak without raising its voice.This sensibility lives on in the way I developed Utsuroi. Although there was no direct stylistic borrowing, the process of creating it—especially the iterative refinement of printing foil and varnish for the year markings—reflected the same kind of devotion. I personally attended multiple printing sessions, carefully fine-tuning light reflection and visibility in close dialogue with craftsmen on site. That experience felt very close in spirit to the silent dedication I witnessed in Kamo's washi studios.In Utsuroi, the beauty doesn't come from how much is added, but from how much is allowed to remain still. My time with regional craft reminded me that design is not just about making form—but about how we choose to relate to time, to materials, and to the people who bring things into being.
Utsuroi was priced at around 10,000 yen—a high-end item intentionally limited to just 100 sets. This specification was predetermined by the client, and within that framework, my role was to explore how to deliver a sense of refined exclusivity through design. Rather than aiming for standardization or everyday usability, the concept focused on creating a singular, memorable experience tailored for discerning individuals—a so-called “connoisseur” who savors not only the drink, but the time around it.Because the item was not mass-distributed, it didn’t need to conform to commercial norms or establish long-term brand recognition. Instead, its brevity allowed room for poetic experimentation. We embraced that rare opportunity to design something sensorial and bold—unconventional in form, yet elegant in tone.The limited quantity became a strength. It gave us permission to propose a structure that would not follow familiar packaging tropes, but instead resonate emotionally. From the first tactile interaction to the act of opening, the package invites quiet surprise and personal reflection—especially when given as a gift. That moment of unveiling becomes a shared memory between the sender and recipient, rooted in rarity and intention.It is, in every sense, a luxurious and unapologetically niche product—born precisely because it was never meant to be ordinary.
My design approach is shaped by two distinct but complementary perspectives—one rooted in metropolitan branding and graphic design, and another shaped by firsthand exposure to traditional regional crafts. Both have quietly informed the way Utsuroi balances a restrained structure with an emotive undercurrent.For instance, the use of slit animation and the decision to express the passage of time using minimal visual cues reflect a metropolitan mindset: one that values communicating more through less. At the same time, my involvement in the printing process—standing alongside craftspeople to fine-tune the balance of foil and varnish by hand—draws from the sensibility I gained by observing local artisans’ dedication to subtle, tactile details.What may appear at first as an innovative structure is in fact deeply rooted in sensitivity to material, time, and silence. I believe this dual perspective—between efficiency and attentiveness, between concept and craft—is what gives Utsuroi its quiet strength and sense of cultural resonance.
Long-aged sake and gift-giving both carry a quiet weight—the weight of time. That sense of anticipation naturally made me wonder: could the act of opening a package become a small ceremony in itself?For Utsuroi, I wanted to craft an experience in which the opening gesture would gently heighten awareness of time. Rather than treating the box as a neutral container, I focused on designing an unfolding process that carries a rhythm—a deliberate moment of pause. The slit animation that shifts the year as the package is slid open is not merely a gimmick, but a subtle way to make the invisible motion of time feel tangible.The idea began with a simple question: how might we turn a "first encounter" into a memory? That led to a structure and sequence in which the recipient does more than just access the contents—they mark a moment, almost like opening a quiet threshold between past and present.By encouraging a slower, intentional interaction, I hoped the packaging would support the ceremonial nature of enjoying sake itself. It’s not just about design function—it’s about honoring the time both within and around the object.
In designing Utsuroi, I chose not to directly reference the geographical landscape or physical features of the brewery’s coastal location. Instead, my focus was on capturing a more internal landscape—the emotional sense of time that slowly accumulates.While Takeda Shuzo's deep roots in Niigata Prefecture certainly evoke a connection to place, what resonated with me most was how their long-standing tradition reflects a quiet continuity through change. The design does not overtly depict dunes or coastlines. Rather, it invites the user to experience the passage of time through minimal means—by touch, by motion, by silence.This was an intentional approach: to express the regional story not by illustrating it, but by allowing it to quietly permeate the experience. In this way, I hoped to evoke the essence of “utsuroi”—that which shifts, fades, and endures all at once.
Utsuroi challenged conventional notions of what "premium" means in the beverage industry. Because of its high price point, the initial expectation from some parties was to use a traditional wooden box to signal luxury. But through close dialogue with the client, we recognized that not all premium experiences rely on conventional symbols of wealth or tradition.Instead, we considered the behavior of the intended audience—connoisseurs who may wish to savor their sake in solitude, as a personal ritual. For such individuals, the notion of luxury might not lie in external materials, but in the internal resonance of the moment itself. This insight led us to explore a different idea: that packaging could evoke value through emotional memory, not just physical appearance.Thus, rather than choosing a conventional luxury material like paulownia wood, we focused on creating a structure that feels like a quiet ceremony. A design that allows time, silence, and motion to create atmosphere. This approach suggests that future premium beverage packaging might move beyond protection and opulence, becoming instead a stage for emotional engagement.Winning the Silver A' Design Award affirms this alternative path—acknowledging that luxury today may be less about grandeur, and more about the subtlety of experience.
With Utsuroi, I wanted the packaging to highlight—not overshadow—the subtle beauty of aged sake’s amber hue. Over time, the color evolves delicately, and I felt that the design should make space for that natural change to be appreciated. Rather than masking or competing with it, the packaging needed to step back and let the sake speak for itself.While decorative elements like gold or elaborate motifs are common in Japanese sake packaging, I believe that sometimes the act of not over-explaining can speak louder. Leaving space for the viewer to wonder—“What is this?”—isn’t a lack of storytelling, but another way of inviting engagement.By limiting visual information to the barest elements—silver foil, clear varnish, soft reflection—I aimed to create a sensory experience rooted in restraint. The shifting visibility depending on light and angle becomes a quiet metaphor for transience and subtlety. In a way, the package is designed not to communicate everything, but to whisper.Looking back, this choice may be informed by a sensibility akin to Japanese Zen—where silence, impermanence, and simplicity converge into their own kind of elegance.
Creating the slit animation mechanism for Utsuroi required an unusually high level of technical precision. We adjusted the spacing and alignment of the stripes on the sleeve multiple times until the animation flowed seamlessly when viewed in motion.One of the most crucial visual elements was the black ink used in the central logo and the sleeve stripes, where the changing year needed to feel clear and impactful. I wanted the black to have both depth and sharpness—something that isn’t always easy to achieve in offset printing. Thanks to the suggestion from press operator Mr. Hasegawa, we used a double hit of 100% K ink (pure black), followed by a clear varnish coating. This approach helped us achieve the strong, condensed black I hoped for while still keeping production costs reasonable.None of this would have been possible without the extraordinary support of the team at Prograf. Their technical expertise, attention to detail, and creative problem-solving played a vital role in realizing the design. I’m deeply grateful—this award is not mine alone, but a shared achievement built on trust and collaboration.
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