Visual Identity · 2016

Tiger Shoes

A side project translating the protective symbolism and regional craft of traditional Chinese tiger-head shoes into a contemporary graphic system.

Role: Research, identity design, illustration, and editorial design
Context: A self-directed project rooted in Chinese folk craft and childhood symbolism
Constraints: Respect the protective meaning and regional variety of tiger-head shoes · Translate richly decorated objects into a coherent contemporary system
Outcome: A visual language spanning cultural research, typography, editorial pages, cards, emblems, and printed applications

Project gallery

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Printed cards pairing photographs of tiger-head shoes with Chinese text — Cultural research Informational cards pairing tiger-head shoe photography with cultural descriptions

Tiger-head shoe identity applications arranged across cards and circular emblems — Cultural research Identity applications combining shoe imagery, circular emblems, cards, and printed labels

Red and cream printed layouts featuring tiger-head shoe photography — Cultural research Red-and-cream layouts using decorative borders, Chinese typography, and shoe photography

Red typographic poster surrounded by tiger-head shoe print studies — Cultural research Typographic poster surrounded by printed studies of tiger faces, shoes, and pattern elements

Picture-album cover with Chinese title and a pair of tiger-head shoes — Picture album Picture-album cover featuring a pair of tiger-head shoes beneath the Chinese title

Album spread showing a market display and an embroidered tiger face — Picture album Interior spread contrasting a market display with a close-up of embroidered tiger features

Album spread comparing regional tiger-head shoe forms — Picture album Interior spread comparing regional shoe forms within a Chinese folk-craft context

Album spread documenting a finished shoe pair and multiple decorative variations — Picture album Interior spread documenting a finished shoe pair and nine decorative variations

Pencil and ink studies of Chinese characters and angular tiger forms — Development Early sketches exploring Chinese characters, tiger stripes, and geometric construction

Pencil sketches of a tiger face ears eyes and nose — Development Detail studies of the tiger's face, ears, eyes, nose, and stitched features

Project notes

About the project

This side project draws on the long history of Chinese tiger-head shoes (虎头鞋), objects connected to ritual protection, regional craftsmanship, and childhood milestones. Their vivid forms and colors become the foundation for a broader visual identity expressed through typography, editorial design, posters, cards, stamps, and printed pieces.

The concept is anchored by the idiom “初生牛犊不怕虎,” or “Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers.” It celebrates the boldness of youth: moving forward without fear before experience has taught hesitation.