Nature Boxes
Xinyao Huang
Mycelium packaging
2022
Xin-yao Huang is a Chinese designer currently based in New York, USA. Her works focus on the dynamic relationship between human culture, society and nature. She is interested in exploring the deeper meaning of design within the context of a changing society. She holds a BFA in Communication Design and is a candidate of Communication Design MFA at Pratt Institute.
INS
Xinyao Huang
Mycelium packaging
2022
Xin-yao Huang is a Chinese designer currently based in New York, USA. Her works focus on the dynamic relationship between human culture, society and nature. She is interested in exploring the deeper meaning of design within the context of a changing society. She holds a BFA in Communication Design and is a candidate of Communication Design MFA at Pratt Institute.
INS
This project starts with a critical reflection of the current “blind box” economy boom in China. As a new marketing strategy and a shift from the traditional consumption culture, the overpriced blind box has become increasingly popular among young people due to the unpredictability of its content, instead of the actual value. The Nature Boxes mimic the blind box design while the content are replaced by foraged natural objects, such as fallen leaves of the autumn - items with no economic values.
Instead of using flashy yet disposable plastic packaging to attract customers, the designer cultivates mycelium packaging for each box to present the unique beauty of its own kind. These packages are grown out of “free” materials abundant on Earth, however, the precious value emerges from the process of caring.
Instead of using flashy yet disposable plastic packaging to attract customers, the designer cultivates mycelium packaging for each box to present the unique beauty of its own kind. These packages are grown out of “free” materials abundant on Earth, however, the precious value emerges from the process of caring.
