An illustrated site to explore the Sik Sik Yuen Lantern Festival and Mid-Autumn culture
Sik Sik Yuen
September 2024
3 weeks
Role: UX/UI Designer
Introducing
Where Culture Glows
In a rapidly modernizing world, cultural traditions risk fading into the background. This illustrated site celebrates the Sik Sik Yuen Lantern Festival, offering a visually rich space where users can explore Hong Kong’s intangible heritage and reconnect with centuries-old customs.
Problems
Design with Purpose
Through research and observation, we uncovered key challenges visitors face when engaging with traditional festival promotions.
Lack of Clear Event Information
Visitors may not know what the event includes, when or where things are happening.
Cultural Disconnect
Not all visitors are familiar with the traditions behind the Mid-Autumn Festival, Wong Tai Sin customs, or the purpose of the celebration.
Low Engagement
Traditional promotions often fail to capture the attention of younger or non-local visitors.
Challenge
Create a digital experience that helps visitors explore the festival’s cultural value while staying informed about key events and activities.
Design process
Design Principles
Design principles applied throughout the design process.
Visual Hierarchy
Guide attention through contrast, scale, and placement to highlight key content and help users navigate without confusion.
Emphasis on Cultural Context
Embed traditional visuals and tone to preserve heritage, promote learning, and celebrate cultural roots in a digital setting.
Consistent Visual Language
Maintain consistent illustration style, colors, and motifs to reflect tradition.
Clear Navigation & Flow
Create smooth scroll-based navigation and organized content flow to support quick understanding and easy exploration.
User Engagement & Interaction
Incorporate simple interactive features to invite participation and keep users curious, engaged, and immersed in the experience.
Project timeline
Context
Honouring the Origins
Researching the history and cultural origins of the Sik Sik Yuen Lantern Festival ensures the design is respectful, informed, and meaningful, allowing traditions to be honored while creating an experience that resonates with modern audiences.
Understanding the Festival’s Roots —
The Mid-Autumn Festival dates back over 3,000 years, rooted in moon worship and harvest celebrations, evolving to include lantern displays, legends, and family reunions.
Moon Worship Origins
The Mid-Autumn Festival began as an ancient harvest ritual honoring the moon for blessings and abundant crops.
Legend of Chang’e
Central to the festival is Chang’e, the moon goddess who ascended after drinking an immortality elixir, leaving her lover behind.
Lantern Traditions
Lanterns symbolize light, hope, and guidance. Lighting and admiring lanterns is a key celebratory tradition passed through generations..
Temple Fair (Miaohui)
Miaohui blends religious rituals, local performances, and cultural displays—now merged with the Lantern Festival at Wong Tai Sin Temple.
Sik Sik Yuen’s Role
As a key cultural guardian, Sik Sik Yuen hosts the festival to preserve intangible heritage and share Taoist traditions with the public.
Introducing
Sik Sik Lantern Festival
Deep research into the festival’s rich history and stories inspired a design that weaves tradition and meaning, creating an experience both authentic and engaging.
The Design Story —
Unpackings the visual and interactive elements, revealing how each design choice brings the festival’s story and culture to life.
Strong Visual Hierarchy
The Mid-Autumn Festival began as an ancient harvest ritual honoring the moon for blessings and abundant crops.
Custom Illustrations and Icons
There are charming illustrations (like lanterns, mooncakes, clouds) throughout the design that enhance cultural storytelling and add a handmade, celebratory feel.
Guided Festival Journey
The site mirrors the physical event layout, starting with key attractions and flowing through activities and traditions. Guiding users like a visitor walking through the festival from entrance to finale.
Cultural Storytelling Experience
Traditional elements, like the lantern drifting downward rather than rising, symbolize the importance of returning home and reuniting with family.
Design Breakdown —
Thoughtful details like clear section hierarchy, harmonious colors, and culturally inspired visuals work together to create an intuitive, engaging user experience.
Elegant Typography Pairing
The Mid-Autumn Festival began as an ancient harvest ritual honoring the moon for blessings and abundant crops.
Festive Color Palette
A vibrant and culturally resonant palette, featuring rich reds, golds, and warm yellows. It captures the spirit of the lantern festival and evokes a warm, welcoming atmosphere for visitors.
Interactive Motion
Gentle hover effects, scroll-triggered reveals, and animated icons add a layer of interactivity keeping users engaged.
Language —
Designing with language in mind means creating a site that speaks to people—not just in function, but in feeling.
Bilingual Experience
The site supports both Chinese and English, ensuring accessibility and cultural relevance for Hong Kong’s diverse, multilingual audience.
A Storybook Feel
Playful rhymes and narrative flow bring a storybook-like charm, making the experience feel whimsical, engaging, and culturally expressive.
Sticker Sheet
Considerations
Designing For Everyone
Here are a few accessibility-focused improvements that were explored and applied to help make the platform more usable for everyone.
High Contrast
Text and icons contrast well against their backgrounds, improving legibility for users with low vision or color blindness.
Bilingual Language Support
Supports both Chinese and English, catering to Hong Kong’s multilingual population and improving accessibility for both locals and tourists.
Alt Text
Ensures that all visual elements are accessible and understandable for users relying on screen readers.
Reflection
Project Takeaways
Illustration Depth
Given more time, I would love to enhance the illustrations further—adding layered scenes, motion, and more cultural symbolism to enrich storytelling.
Deeper Cultural Immersion
This project reminded me how vital cultural research is in design. If expanded, I’d want to collaborate with cultural historians or locals to go deeper.
Interaction Enhancements
I enjoyed exploring different ways to create interactive moments that keep visitors engaged while staying true to the festival’s cultural roots and storytelling traditions.
final notes
Lessons Learned
This project deepened my appreciation for how design can preserve cultural traditions while engaging modern audiences. From crafting bilingual content to exploring playful, storybook-inspired interactions, every decision was rooted in authenticity and intention. It reminded me that thoughtful, research-led design can bridge the gap between heritage and innovation.
Thank you for taking the time to view this project.
