Ember is a traveling lantern festival brand created to reimagine a beloved global tradition through the lens of sustainability and cultural education. While lantern releases have already found popularity in the West, most Western iterations emphasize spectacle over substance — Ember set out to restore the tradition's original meaning (seasonal renewal and personal reflection) while using the format's mass appeal to promote recycling and environmental awareness. Designed as a mobile festival capable of activating in major cities nationwide, Ember offers both in-person and remote participation, allowing attendees to purchase and release a lantern on-site or have one released in their name via livestream — maximizing both audience reach and charitable impact.

The design process began with deep research into the cultural history and meaning of Chinese lantern festivals, ensuring Ember's Western adaptation honored rather than diluted the tradition's roots. In parallel, extensive research into sustainable materials shaped every physical touchpoint of the event, from biodegradable lantern construction to zero-waste production standards. From this foundation, the brand identity and logo went through multiple rounds of iteration before arriving at a final visual language, which was then extended across a full suite of touchpoints: event posters, a companion mobile app for remote participation, custom food truck design, Chinese take-out-inspired food packaging, and event wristbands — creating a cohesive brand experience across every stage of attendee interaction.

The final Ember brand suite reflects both rigorous research and disciplined design execution, translating cultural sensitivity and sustainability values into a bold, cohesive visual identity. The project became an early demonstration of a design approach that continues to define my work today: bold, precisely tuned use of color paired with restrained, minimal typography, and a commitment to research-driven, iterative design decisions rather than surface-level aesthetic choices. More than a class assignment, Ember was a proof of concept for building an entire brand ecosystem — from identity to physical event collateral — around a single, culturally grounded idea.