顔 (Kao)

Tradition reimagined through materials.

Kao is a modern take on the Daruma, the traditional Japanese talisman of tenacity and wish-making. Respecting the craft's origins, particularly the iconic hand-drawn face, this project explores the intersection of tradition and modern materiality, and considers how the meaning of a ritual object can be preserved while its form is completely rethought.

Warm curves against cold steel.

I treated the Daruma as a physical vessel for hope, preserving its ritual elements while reimagining the tactile experience. The design contrasts a smooth, inviting body with a textured, cold steel face, turning the object into a sensory focal point and balancing the warmth of its curves with the weight and coolness of the metal. It is designed to be held.

It is an object that lives in the hand.

A held object whose meaning is conveyed through material contrast — a warm body against a cold steel face — and which is presented in ritual packaging.

Concept: a modern reinterpretation of the Daruma talisman.
CMF: a smooth, warm body versus a textured, cold steel face.
Human factors: weight, temperature and tactile contrast in the hand.
Scope: object and packaging design.