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2025 One Show - Design

Magnificent

Agency The Nine / Shanghai

Client Yotkan Ancient City in Xinjiang, China

Category

Craft / Photography

Annual ID

OS25_DE041B

Background

The Yotkan Ancient City in Xinjiang, China, is a city with a history of thousands of years. This brand hopes to design promotional print materials, to attract more tourists to experience the ‘magnificent’ of the ancient city.

Creative Idea

This ancient city is a renowned historical site located in Hetian, Xinjiang, China, It was an important town on the ancient Silk Road leading to Central Asia and Europe. We use the minimalism of post-modern photography, the geometric composition design captures the moment of architecture and characters, with natural-like light and shadow, using the city wall, desert, and snow mountain as the stage backdrop, and strong color contrast, and created a series of unique images with great style. This dreamlike and enchanting realm showcases the ‘magnificent’ of Yotkan Ancient City to the world. We have extended this series of brand photography to media such as poster design, postcard and stamp design, brochure design, and more.

Insights & Strategy

This ancient city is a renowned historical site located in Hetian, Xinjiang, China, It was an important town on the ancient Silk Road leading to Central Asia and Europe. The name "Yotkan" in ancient Xinjiang language translates to "blanket in the desert." We unveil this "blanket" and explore the magnificent of Yotkan Ancient City, including its architectural aesthetics, historical culture, local customs, culinary delights, and traditional performances.

Execution

We use the minimalism of post-modern photography, the geometric composition design captures the moment of architecture and characters, with natural-like light and shadow, using the city wall, desert, and snow mountain as the stage backdrop, and strong color contrast, and created a series of unique images with great style. Under the golden sunshine, a Uyghur girl in gorgeous clothes ran up hundreds of steps; The trumpeter lying in the vast snowy wilderness soloing for the flock of sheep; Performers enveloped in 39 meters of emerald silk, resembling living sculptures in motion; In the joy of the huqin playing, the family gathered around to watch their daughter shave her father's beard; The elderly motorcycle couple, conversing affectionately about their love as they wander the world; A teenager on a bicycle travels around the ancient city; a soccer enthusiast agile as a hare on the trunk of a Populus euphratica, etc. This dreamlike and enchanting realm showcases the ‘magnificent’ of Yotkan Ancient City to the world.

Results

We have extended this series of brand photography to media such as poster design, postcard and stamp design, brochure design, and more. It has garnered over 60 million views and attracted tens of thousands of people to visit the Yotkan Ancient City. The ancient brand has revitalized with new vitality.

2025 Awards

Total Points: 9

Bronze Pencil

Credits

Agency

The Nine / Shanghai

Art Director

Jody Xiong

Chief Creative Officer

Jody Xiong

Creative Director

Jody Xiong

Design Director

Jody Xiong

Designer

Jody Xiong

Director

Jody Xiong

Artist

Jody Xiong

Music Supervisor

Ma Shangyou

Sound Designer

Syn China

Typographer

Jody Xiong

Executive Producer

Liu Junqi
Shang Ying

Color Mixing

Zhang Yingjie

Design Consultant

Wang Zhiou
Zhang Xiaowei

Online

Chen Jiawei

Performing Arts Director

Li Na
Chen Chi

Songwriter

Wu Haoqing

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