Heroes come from the people：Zodiac Stamps: A Symbol of China for a Global Audience

生肖邮票很中国，也很世界

Zodiac Stamps: A Symbol of China for a Global Audience

极目新闻记者 陈凌燕

翻译 陈天一 何凌寒 卫拉（湖北大学）

Jimu News Reporter:Chen Lingyan

Translators: Chen Tianyi, He Linghan, Lisa M.K(Hubei University)

对话人物

Interviewee

潘虎，1973年生于湖北武汉，1996年毕业于中央工艺美术学院（现清华大学美术学院）。他是当下最具有热度和影响力的设计师，也是刚刚首发的中国邮政2025生肖蛇年邮票设计者；他是潘虎设计实验室首席设计师，担任英国D&AD包装设计类评委会主席、深圳市插画协会副会长；他也是联合国邮政署签约艺术家、宝格丽BVLGARI 联名艺术家。我们能看到的现象级的瑞幸酱香拿铁、青岛白啤、时尚集团等品牌的包装设计均出自他手。

Pan Hu, one of the most influential and celebrated contemporary designers, wasborn in Wuhan, Hubei Province in 1973and later graduated from the Central Academy of Arts and Design(nownamedthe Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University) in 1996. Better known as Tiger Pan, he is the designer behindChina Post’s newly released Chinese zodiac themed stamps for the upcoming Year of the Snake in 2025,the Chief Designer of Tiger Pan Packaging DesignLab, D&AD Awards’ Packaging Design Jury President, and Vice President of the Shenzhen Illustration Association. Panis also a contracted artist for the United Nations Postal Administration and a co-brandedartist for BVLGARI. Remarkable designs of leading enterprises, such as Luckin Coffee’s viral Moutai-flavored Latte, Tsingtao White Beer, and Trends Group, are all the works ofTiger Pan.

潘虎在工作中（受访者供图）【Pan Hu at work（Courtesy of interviewee）】

对话背景

Background

10月30日，中国邮政发布《乙巳年》特种邮票（即2025蛇年生肖邮票）图稿。邮票由潘虎、张旺设计，以敦煌壁画和传统民俗为灵感，将蛇的形象与吉祥寓意巧妙结合，既体现了生肖文化的魅力，又凝聚了朴素灵活的民间智慧。日前，极目新闻记者专访了潘虎，听他讲述设计背后的故事和身为设计师的心得。

On October 30th, China Post issued the design draft for the zodiac themed stamps for the Year of the Yisi,or the Year of the Snake.The stamps, designed by Tiger Pan and Zhang Wang, are inspired by Dunhuang murals and traditional folklore. They ingeniouslycombine the image of the snake with auspicious symbolism, which not only showcases the charm of the zodiac culture but also embodies the plain yet agile wisdom of the people. Recently, a reporter from Jimu News interviewed Pan tolearn aboutthe story behind the design and his experienceas a designer.

生肖邮票是特征与美感的平衡

Zodiac Stamps: A Balance Between Culture and Aesthetics

极目新闻：你为中国邮政设计的蛇年邮票，既可爱又有美感，能不能分享一下设计过程？

Jimu News：The stamps for the Year of the Snake you designed for China Post are both adorable and aesthetically pleasing. Could you share the design process with us?

潘虎：蛇是一种很特别的生物，不同的人对蛇有着不同的感受和理解。因此，设计蛇年邮票是一个不小的挑战。难点在于把握蛇的特征与美感之间的平衡，同时要有足够的兼容性，因为它的受众将是14亿中国人，如果有1%的人不喜欢，那就意味着很多人不喜欢。作为众多投稿者之一，我有幸与张旺老师共同创作乙巳年生肖邮票。更让我开心的是，邮票方案发布后，反馈非常好。

Pan Hu: The snake is a unique creature, and different people have different sentimentsand understandingabout it. So, designing stamps for the Year of the Snake is quite a challenge. The difficulty lies in striking a balance between itscharacteristicsand aesthetics, while also ensuring it is generally appealing. After all, the audience will be 1.4 billion people in China, if 1% of them dislike it, that is a huge proportionof people who will be dissatisfied. As one of the contributors, I am fortunate to collaborate with Mr. Zhang Wang on the design of stamps for the Year of the Snake. What made me even happier is that the feedback has beenoverwhelmingly positive following the release of the stamp design.

极目新闻：之前你也为联合国设计过好几款生肖邮票，前不久你还为列支敦士登设计了蛇年邮票，将蛇与麻将结合，同样非常惊艳。

Jimu News:You have also designed several zodiac stamps for the United Nations, and recentlyyou designed a stamp for the Year of the Snakefor Liechtenstein, combiningthe snake with Mahjong, which is equally very impressive.

潘虎：所有生肖邮票都是基于中国生肖而来的，它既有中国特色，也具备全球视野。列支敦士登是邮票王国，拥有深厚的邮票文化，无论是专业的邮票语言还是创意的丰富性，设计师都拥有极大的空间，可以尽情发挥。蛇在不同文化中有着不同的身份和象征，设计列支敦士登蛇年邮票时，我着重于融合对蛇的不同理解。

Pan Hu:All Chinese zodiac themed postage stamps are based on the Chinese zodiac, and while they embrace Chinesecharacteristics,they also appeal to the world at large. Liechtenstein, dubbed the ‘Kingdom of Stamps’,is renowned for its profound stamp culture. Whether in the professional language of stamps or the richness of creativity, designers have a great freedom to fully express themselves. The snake holds different connotationsacross various cultures, so when designing stamps for the Year of the Snake for Liechtenstein, I focused on integrating these diverse interpretationsof the snake.

麻将是中国的国粹，可以解读为“在混乱中寻求秩序”，而当下的世界也存在一些混乱的局面，一些比以往更复杂、更撕扯的东西，需要全人类共同努力寻求更好的共存方式。因此，我决定使用麻将元素来设计这张邮票。至于为什么选择八条，是因为它在麻将中具有很强的辨识度，造型上也具有强烈的设计感和秩序感。

Mahjongis quintessential Chinese culture, which can be interpreted as ‘seeking orderout of chaos’. At present, we are living in rather tumultuous times, with some aspects of our lives more complicated and intertwined than ever. This calls for the collective effort of all humanity as we seek for a better way to coexist. Therefore, I decidedto integrate the features ofMahjonginto the design of the stamp. As for why I chose the ‘BambooEight’ tile, it is a highly recognizabletile in Mahjongand its pattern is naturally well-proportioned.

极目新闻：你给《乙巳年》邮票设计打几分？

Jimu News:How would you ratethe design of the ‘Year of the Snake’ stamp?

潘虎：88分吧。我对自己满意的作品一般会打88分。在我30多年的设计生涯中，随着时间推移，当我几年后回头再看，常会有这样或那样的遗憾，这是设计的特性所决定的。

Pan Hu: 88, I suppose. I usually score my work an 88 out of 100 when I am satisfied with it. During the 30 years of my career, as time goes by, I tend to have all sorts of regrets whenever I look back, but that is just a part and parcel of pursuing design.

列支敦士登2025蛇年邮票图稿（The design for Liechtenstein’s2025 Year of the Snake postage stamps）

从来没有考虑个人风格这件事

Personal Style has Never Taken Precedence

极目新闻：你曾经提到，设计与文化背景的适配度决定作品能否大范围传播。但是在你的设计中，很多作品跨越了地域和文化背景。面对一个多样性的世界，你是如何做到让作品变成“通用语言”的呢？

Jimu News: You once mentioned that how well a design aligns with the cultural context determines whether the work can be widely spread. However, many of your designs transcend geographicand culturalboundaries. So how do you manage to turn your work into a ‘universal language’ in such a diverse world?

潘虎：我觉得也许是大家过于强调民族性和世界性的区别，其实并不存在需要刻意跨越的鸿沟。工业革命之后，科技一直在推动着人类社会的共性发展，整个世界的交互度越来越高。人类是有共性的，当我们追溯不同国家的传统文化，就能发现不少东西是共通的。设计也是一样，我们要做的，就是洞察这些共性并且表现出来。

Pan Hu: I think that perhaps people have overemphasized the difference between nationality and universality. Actually, no gapneeds to be bridgeddeliberately. After the Industrial Revolution, technology has been driving the development of commonality in human society so that the whole world is becoming increasingly more interactive. Human beings have commonalities. When we trace the traditional cultures of different countries, we can find quite a few things in common. The same applies in design, what we need to do is to recognize these commonalities and convey them.

极目新闻：你的工作室公众号经常分享设计心得，其中提到“一稿过”，这可是很多设计师的梦想啊。

Jimu News: Your studio’s officialaccount often sharessome design tips, one of them being ‘Just one draft’, which is really the dream of many designers.

潘虎：哈哈！大家不要把“一稿过”理解为省事，之前也许已经出了100稿，只不过我先进行了筛选。我一向不赞成“先拿5个方案看看”的做法，因为设计师的工作是帮助甲方达到目标，而“5个方案”模式成了设计师猜测甲方的想法，甲方成了选择者，设计师的功能反而隐去了。

Pan Hu: Ha ha, don’t take ‘Just one draft’ as a way to save time. Before the last version, I might have already produced 100 drafts and screenedthrough each of them. I have never been in favor of the practice of ‘offer five proposals first’,which just makes the designer guess the client’sneeds,but yet the designer’s job is to help the clientachieve their goal. In thatcase, the clientbecomes the judge and the role of the designer is insteaddiminished.

极目新闻：那么，设计师和甲方的话语权是有边界的吗？

Jimu News: So, is there a boundary on how much say the designer or the clientgets?

潘虎：有的。双方一定要先有充分的沟通，建立起足够的信任。

Pan Hu: Of course, there is. Both parties need to engage in thorough discourse to build a solid foundation of trust.

极目新闻：你的设计很有辨识度。设计师应该如何建立并保持自己的风格呢？

Jimu News: Your designs are so unique and distinguishable. How should designers establish and maintain their own styles?

潘虎：实话说，我从来没有考虑过个人风格这件事。如果大家觉得我有风格，那也是无意识的。我甚至反对设计师把个人风格带入到设计项目中。就像演员塑造角色，要让观众看到一个丰富立体的人物，而不是演员自己。

Pan Hu: Frankly speaking, I’ve never thought about personal style. If people think I have one, it’s unintentional. I’m actually not for designers bringing their personal style intoprojects. The aim of design issimilar to an actorportraying a character, and theimportancelies in lettingthe audience see a captivating yet realistic character rather thanthe actor themself.

中国邮政《乙巳年》特种邮票图稿（China Post’s themed stamps for the upcoming Year of the Snake）

创作本身是反套路和颠覆式的

Creativity Entails Challenging the Norm

极目新闻：你的设计作品非常多，你怎么会有这么多好点子？

Jimu News: You’ve designed so many works! Where do you get all your great ideas?

潘虎：创作本身是反套路，是颠覆式的。从事设计工作就要具有批判性思维，要勇敢洞察，包括洞察文化、洞察对方。

Pan Hu: The very nature of creativity entails challenging routines and norms. When engaging in design, it’s essential to have a critical mindsetand an acute level of awareness, which includes an insight into culture and other people.

极目新闻：在如此繁忙的工作中，你是如何去洞察、去积累的呢？

Jimu News:With such a busyschedule, how do you manage to stay inquisitive and keep learning?

潘虎：我总是说，答案在路上。在办公室坐久了，怎么都想不出解决方案的时候，就该出去走走了。我确实非常忙碌，但我也很注重调整节奏和状态，让自己换个角度看问题。比如出差，我会当成旅行，感受就不同了。对设计师来说，保持身心自由是非常重要的，同时一定要热爱生活。

Pan Hu: I always say that the answer is on the way. When you’ve been sitting in the office for a long time and can’t seem to finda solution, it’s time to go out for a walk. I am very busy indeed, but I also focus on adjusting my pace and mindset which gives me a new perspective on a problem. For example, when I go on a business trip, I view it as a vacation, which changes how I feel about it. For designers, keeping physical and mental freedom is crucial, and it’s equally important to have a passion for life.

比如，我用一年时间给自己做了一张桌子，每个细节都是根据我个人的需要设计。我是完美主义者，所以我对这张桌子的要求极为细致，它要精准满足我的所有需求，比如，左、右音箱与我耳朵的距离都是85厘米。

For instance, it took me one year to make a table for myself with every detail tailored to my individual needs. As a perfectionist, I have highly meticulous requirements for this table. It needsto precisely satisfy all my needs, for example,the distance between the left and right speaker box and my ears is exactly 85 centimeters.

极目新闻：听上去，这张桌子有点像钢铁侠的盔甲？

Jimu News: It sounds that this table is like Iron Man’s armor?

潘虎：对，就是这个感觉！

Pan Hu: Yeah, that’s it!

近些年越来越想回到故乡武汉

Yearning to Return to My Hometown, Wuhan

极目新闻：你在武汉出生，能不能分享一下你从“武汉伢”到“设计界大牛”的历程？

Jimu News: You were born in Wuhan. Would you share your journeyfrom a ‘Wuhan native’to a prominent figure in the design industry?

潘虎：我在武汉一直待到十六七岁，然后去北京读书。动身的时候，我心里想的只有一点，就是一定要离开。年轻人渴望远方，那时我只想去更大的世界，想脱离家人的管束，想去打拼。不过很有意思的是，近些年我越来越多地想回到武汉，每次回来都特别兴奋、愉悦。怎么形容呢？这事有点像人到了一定年纪就会喜欢喝热水。故乡就是故乡，不管你跑了多远，到一定的时候，不由自主地就是想回来。

Pan Hu: I lived in Wuhan until I was about 16 or 17years old, and then I went to Beijing forcollege.When I left, the only thing on my mind was that I needed to leave. Young people are always eager to explore the world, so at that time, all I wanted was to see what was out there and find my footing free of my family’s constraints. Interestingly, in recent years, I’vehad a strongdesireto return to Wuhan. Each time I come back, I feel really excited. How do I describe this feeling? It’s a bit like how people start to enjoy drinking hot water when they reacha certain age. Your hometown will always behome. No matter how far you travel, there will comea time when you can’t help butreturn.

我最爱武汉的早餐，每次回来都会一大早就呼朋引伴，喊上三四个好友一起过早。因为几个人一起就能多点几个种类，这个吃几口、那个吃几口，尽量不错过各种好吃的。

Wuhan’s breakfastfoods are my all-time favorite. Every time I come back, I always wake up early to go out for breakfast with a few close friends.When we go out together, we order a variety of foodsand try a little bit of everything, making sure we don’t miss out on any of the delicious options.

极目新闻：武汉拥有“设计之都”的美称，你对它的变化感觉如何？

Jimu News: Wuhan is known as a ‘City of Design.’How do you feel about its changes?

潘虎：武汉变化太大了！我小时候住在武昌首义路一带，那时候边上还有菜地呢。我和小伙伴们还去长江游过泳。现在的武汉完全是另一番模样，但是武汉人的气度没有变。武汉人有灵活好用的脑子，我们都是“九头鸟”嘛，码头文化也赋予了武汉人热烈、豪气的特征。每次回到武汉，见到朋友们，各种回忆就会翻涌起来，同时又带给我很多新的冲击。

Pan Hu: Wuhan has changed a lot. I grew up along Shouyi Road inWuchang. Back then, there were still vegetable fields nearby. I would evenswim in the Yangtze River with my friends. Now, Wuhan looks completely different, but the spirit of the peoplehasremained unchanged. Wuhan people are quick-witted; we’re all ‘nine-headed birds’, a term that refers to howclever and resourcefulwe are. The dock cultureis also a big reason behind the Wuhan hospitality and its passionate people.Each time I return to Wuhan and meet up with my friends, I am flooded with nostalgic memories of the past, but there is always something new or unexpected for me to experience.