Type of applicant company
品牌方
Country
中国
Company Website
https://www.bairun.net
Images
Brand of the Product
RIO Light
Designer Name
Qingsong Zhou、Xinyi Chen、Chen Guo
Position of Designer
无
Target Consumer
The primary target demographic comprises urban individuals aged between 18 and 35, a cohort characterized by considerable purchasing power. Their consumption behavior is guided by a self-rewarding lifestyle, with the pursuit of a mild, pleasant buzz at its epicenter and a strong appreciation for the ritualistic aspects of drinking. They exhibit a distinct preference for products that offer superior aesthetics, a diverse range of flavors, and an element of engagement, while demonstrating high sensitivity to brand narrative, packaging design, ambient experience, and social currency.
Distribution Channels
电商 E-commerce; 大型商场 Shopping Mall; 小型商超和便利店 Supermarket & CVS; 杂货店 Grocery; 餐饮&酒店 Restaurants & Hotel
Positioning
大货消费品 Mass Production
Design Story
The packaging for RIO Green & Plum Longjing Tea Flavour captures the hearts of young consumers with its appealing design, while also making sound business and sustainability sense. Inspired by the fleeting beauty of spring—ephemeral Longjing tea leaves and young plums—it tells a light, romantic story perfect for springtime sipping.
A gradient from fresh green to rosy pink evokes the drink’s sweet-and-tart flavor and the renewing energy of the season. The striking color contrast gives the can standout shelf presence and instant visual appeal. The main visual brings the plum and Longjing flavor to life, illustrating a serene drinking moment—like “sunlight dancing on rippling water,” as a classic poem says. The layered ripple design mirrors the relaxed, free-spirited mood of young drinkers, while the “Spring Limited Edition” tag reinforces its seasonal exclusivity.
A relaxed handwritten typeface blends Eastern elegance with a modern, youthful vibe, creating a clean and cohesive look that’s highly shareable. The stylish design and limited-edition feel not only support a premium price point but also spark social sharing—helping the brand connect with female and Gen Z audiences and generating organic buzz.
On sustainability, the aluminum can is fully recyclable, cutting down material waste from the start and reflecting the brand’s commitment to eco-friendly values.
Highlights
Technical Breakthrough: This can breaks through industry manufacturing constraints to achieve a seamless tri-color gradient. The exceptionally smooth transition relies on precise control over multiple intricate processes—color separation, ink formulation, multi-layer halftone overprinting, press tension, and drying—where each element must be in perfect sync. This represents a major industry advancement by the RIO design and packaging team.
Design System: The complementary contrast between red and green, enhanced by the high-precision gradient, gives the can a striking sense of depth and light-and-shadow interplay. This creates remarkable dimensionality and a premium feel on the shelf, setting the product clearly apart from conventional single-color offerings.
Overall Value: With its distinctive design and superior print craftsmanship, this packaging achieves top-tier quality in the industry. The complex, refined printing process not only gives the product unique visual depth and memorability but also significantly enhances its market scarcity and brand premium, marking a dual leap in design aesthetics and commercial value.
Market Performance
none
Material（For concept works, please choose the material you plan to use）
其他 铝制易拉罐
Craft
Aluminum cans are a widely adopted as a matured packaging solution across industries such as food, beverages, and personal care. Due to its highly recyclable and sustainable characteristics, aluminum supports circular economy goals by reducing resource waste—aligning perfectly with the beverage industry's growing emphasis on eco-friendly practices. Its lightweight nature and convenience also make them ideal for refrigeration, transportation, and today's growing outdoor consumption scenes.
With recent breakthroughs in gradient printing technology for cans, RIO—and the ready-to-drink (RTD) industry as a whole—can now bring to life design effects that were once impossible to achieve. This advancement is set to unlock a new wave of vibrant, visually striking packaging across the market.
Does the design solve the problems that are common across the product category? If so, please explain.
Category Pain Point:
Multicolor gradient printing on aluminum cans is restricted by current industry manufacturing capabilities.
Solution:
Through refined color separation techniques and precise ink ratio adjustments, and by conducting multiple rounds of sampling and testing, we achieved accurate control across several critical steps — including multi-pattern halftone overprinting, printing tension management, and drying processes. Each stage influences the others, requiring extremely high coordination throughout the entire workflow.
What functional designs of the work have enhanced the user experience?
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Did the design help increase the sales performance of the product? If so, please give related evidence.
Strong POS Performance:
The representative system's POS data performed well, ranking among the top within the brand product line. Actual sales reached 260% of the planned target, with a 167% year-over-year increase compared to new product launches in the same period.
Does the work consider sustainability (environmentally or commercially, or both)? If so, please explain.
Aluminum cans, being made from recyclable metal, offer high environmental sustainability. The recyclable nature of aluminum supports circular reuse and helps reduce resource waste, aligning perfectly with the beverage industry’s current shift toward eco-friendly and energy-saving practices.