Concept design of rice wine mascot
for Pagoda Brand Shaoxing.
for Pagoda Brand Shaoxing.
Name of the mascot: Pearl.
Pearl is an unique character with a long and intersting history. In fact, Pearl is the atom of the entire traditional Chinese wine industry. It is a rice grain which is considered as the main, first and probably the most important element of Shaoxing rice wine.
Pearl may seem young. But in fact, this small, agile, and unseen spirit has long been wandering around the world. He remembers the days when wild rice had grown along the banks of the southern rivers, and the ancient people hardly got its grains with sticks and stone knives. He also saw young sprouts that hardly grew on the first rice fields. He knew ancient winemakers and tasted the first and youngest rice wines samples.
Pearl's character, like any ancient wise spirit, is difficult. He knows everything about rice, remembers many recipes of rice wine and appreciates in people, most of all, respect for traditions and work. He tries to avoid unnecessary human attention and often hides in the tall grass. Pearl travels a lot around the world in his traditional hat, that resembles the Six Harmonies pagoda.
From time to time he helps hardworking people in their everyday activities and make fun of lazy people. Pearl, like rice, loves warmth, so it can often be seen nearby hot springs and in traditional Chinese baths, where it rests between its journeys.
The name Pearl was not chosen by chance. Rice was called the pearl grain in ancient times. This name emphasizes the international background of the umage and the importance of intercultural exchange.
When it comes to design pearl is a simple character that has few small details, which allows to apply it to different media without losing its recognition.
The main attribute of the Pearl character is an unusual hat. It`s image is based on traditional oriental hats. It is a conical hat made of bamboo wood chips, the top of which resembles the Pagoda of the Six Harmonies in Hangzhou, which is used in the logo type of the Pagoda brand.
There is also a simple vector version for media with a limited number of colours.
