IGNITE, ASK AND OFFER: A RITUAL OF BECOMING
Book Design
Writing & Analysis
Cultural Reresearch
Typography
Illustration & Ideation
2026
This book set explores the relationship between individual self-awareness and divinity, documenting a journey where the true self is gradually unveiled through spiritual practices. "Ignite, Ask, and Offer" represent the three fundamental stages of worship rituals in Taiwanese temples. Within this design, these three phases project the dimensions of belief onto Society, Divine Authority, and the Self. Through observation, practice, and reflection on these religious rituals, this work attempts to map the boundary between individual awareness and the divine.
To convey this sacred yet introspective narrative, the book’s physical format is transformed through the visual language of traditional Taiwanese joss paper. Every visual element—from the textured cream paper and single-sided red ink printing, to the manual layered bundling, red rubber bands, gold leaf foil, and red stamps—converges to turn the book into a ritual object. It becomes an artifact placed before the deities, accompanying the worshipper to the ritual’s end.
Inside the second volume, ASK, a die-cut window seamlessly holds a Riso-printed mini-book titled The YES Book. Inspired by the traditional Taiwanese ritual of tossing moon blocks (puah-pue), this hidden structural detail metaphorically transforms a spiritual practice into a tangible proof of individual self-awareness underlying the divine response.
As readers turn the pages, they will discover the connections between Taiwanese society and traditional faith, the countless inquiries between the individual and the spiritual world, and how design serves as a thinking probe throughout this spiritual journey. Ignite, Ask, and Offer form a continuous cycle, an endless exploration of life.
