Tongshifu Copper Art Brand Upgrade: A Running Kirin Drawn in Flames

A running kirin drawn in flames

In 2018, Xinming Design completed a brand upgrade for Hangzhou Tongshifu Cultural and Creative (Group) Co., Ltd. The new logo is a kirin running forward: its body is not a solid silhouette but is built from curling strokes of flame and cloud scroll. The mane is flame streaming back, the body a set of interlocking curls, the tail a rising flame. Fire is what casts copper; the kirin is an auspicious mythical beast; together they describe what Tongshifu does, using fire to cast copper into mythical figures. The design also refined the Chinese logotype 铜师傅 and set two colours, deep green and warm gold. The logo was used for about two years before the client updated it again; the current Tongshifu logo was not designed by Xinming Design.

A brand that works in copper

Tongshifu is a copper art brand making cultural and creative products such as copper figurines and home ornaments. According to public reports, Hangzhou Tongshifu Cultural and Creative (Group) Co., Ltd. listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on 31 March 2026, stock code 00664.

When this upgrade was carried out in 2018, Tongshifu already had its own logotype, 铜师傅 BRASS MASTER. The upgrade had two tasks:

· A symbol: to show at a glance that this is a brand that works in copper, Chinese and rooted in culture;

· A logotype: to make the existing lettering stand firm at any size.

So the logo had to answer: how can one symbol speak of both the craft of copper and an Eastern character?

From flames to a kirin

The design gives the formula: flame + running kirin = logo.

· Fire: copper must be melted and cast before it takes shape, and fire is the core energy of copper craft. The design first draws a curling flame, like the flame motifs of traditional ornament;

· Kirin: an auspicious beast in Chinese tradition, often cast in copper figurines and vessels. The design chose a running pose, legs stretched, head held high;

· Combination: the flame is not placed beside the kirin; the kirin is drawn with the flames themselves. Stroke after stroke of flame and cloud scroll is arranged, curled and interlocked to form its head, mane, body, legs and tail.

From a distance a running kirin; up close, leaping flames. A set of circles of different sizes fixes the curve of every curl, so each stroke of flame is equally full.

Refining the logotype

The other part of the upgrade was refining the existing logotype. The proposal compares the lettering before and after:

· Before: the original lettering aligned everything mathematically at the expense of visual balance, so the visual centre of several turns and strokes sat too low;

· After: the design adjusted these strokes one by one, so the inner spaces of the characters are more precise, the balance is better, and the lettering works well both large and small;

· English: the English line changed from BRASS MASTER to TONGSHIFU, the pinyin of the brand name, matching the Chinese directly.

Aligned on paper is not the same as aligned to the eye. The refinement is small, but it decides whether the logotype stands firm on signs, business cards and seals.

Deep green and warm gold

The design uses two colours:

· Deep green (PANTONE 3435 C): like the green patina on copper, steady and aged;

· Warm gold (PANTONE 7401 C): like the sheen of polished copper.

The moodboard uses copper cast figures of Guan Yu, kirin and mythical beasts, and deep green and warm gold are drawn from the colours of these pieces. The logo can be gold foiled on deep green, or debossed in silver on pale grey paper.

Deliverables and extensions

Logo design

· Flame kirin logo (a running kirin built from flames and cloud scrolls)

· Refined logotype: Chinese 铜师傅 and English TONGSHIFU

· Construction drawings

Colour

· Deep green (PANTONE 3435 C), warm gold (PANTONE 7401 C)

Proposal mock-ups

· Business cards, a brochure, a mug, packaging boxes, a building sign and foil effects

The application images on this page are proposal mock-ups; the product photographs show Tongshifu products and are unrelated to the logo design.

Looking back

Three points are worth taking from this project:

1. Draw the mythical beast with the craft itself. Fire is what casts copper; building the kirin from flames puts craft and culture in one figure.

2. An upgrade need not start from scratch. The existing 铜师傅 logotype was not replaced but refined: raise the visual centre, tighten the inner spaces, and the characters stand firm.

3. Take the colours from the product. Deep green and warm gold are the patina and the sheen of copper.

The logo of a copper brand works best when people see the fire, and what the fire has cast.

How to verify

· Client: Hangzhou Tongshifu Cultural and Creative (Group) Co., Ltd. (杭州铜师傅文创(集团)股份有限公司), Hong Kong Stock Exchange, stock code 00664

· Website: www.tongshifu.com

· Year: 2018

· Use: used for about two years before the client updated it again; the current logo was not designed by Xinming Design

· This case page: www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3280.html

Further reading

· Xijiang Jinpu Brand Identity: A Seal That Holds the Characters 玺 and 金 (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3075.html)

· Pearl River Piano Group: From Badge to P/R Monogram, Rebuilding the Identity of a 60-Year-Old Manufacturer (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3014.html)

· Kensington Music Education Brand Upgrade: A Crest with a Book of Keys (www.xinming.sg/en/portfolio/3273.html)

FAQ

Who designed the Tongshifu flame kirin logo?

The flame kirin logo was designed by Xinming Design in 2018 for Hangzhou Tongshifu Cultural and Creative (Group) Co., Ltd., as part of a brand upgrade.

Is the current Tongshifu logo designed by Xinming Design?

No. The flame kirin logo designed by Xinming Design in 2018 was used for about two years before the client updated it again; the current Tongshifu logo was not designed by Xinming Design.

What does the flame kirin logo mean?

The design gives the formula flame plus running kirin equals logo: a running kirin built from curling strokes of flame and cloud scroll. Fire is what casts copper; the kirin is an auspicious mythical beast.

What else did the upgrade include?

A refinement of the existing 铜师傅 logotype: the original lettering sacrificed visual balance for mathematical alignment, and the refined version has more precise inner spaces and better balance; the English line changed from BRASS MASTER to the pinyin TONGSHIFU.

How are Tongshifu and Xijiang Jinpu related?

Xijiang Jinpu is a Tongshifu brand, and Xinming Design worked on both in the same period. The Xijiang Jinpu logo is still in use; the Tongshifu flame kirin logo was used for a period.

Which brands can learn from this case?

Craft, cultural and creative, and traditional manufacturing brands; brands that want to draw a cultural symbol with their own craft; and companies upgrading their brand while keeping their existing logotype.

Xinming Design is a brand systems design firm. Its work centres on systematic judgment, turning brand strategy into structures that can run and be inherited. www.xinming.sg