Beautiful Chinese New Year Designs for Your Festive Projects
Unlikely anyone loves the New Year celebration more than the Chinese. They celebrate it several times. First, according to the Gregorian calendar (on the night of January 1st), and then also according to the Eastern calendar. Chinese New Year 2021 is twice a holiday! If you are crafting a Chinese New Year design, this post will be useful for you.
Chinese New Year has long been the primary and longest-lasting holiday in China and other East Asian countries. Unlike its Western analog, there is no fixed start date for the Chinese New Year. Each year it is set at a different time. And it is planned to celebrate the holiday in China from February 12th to February 27th.
Every year in China is symbolized by a combination that is repeated only once every 60 years. This combination represents one of the 12 zodiac animals of a certain color corresponding to one of the five elements (water, earth, metal, fire, and wood). Chinese New year 2021 will symbolize the animal ox and the element metal, and the primary color of the year will be white.
During the Chinese New Year holidays, people wear red clothes, make decorations on red paper, and give children “money of luck” in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire, which, according to legend, can ward off misfortunes. Mysterious Asia attracts and fascinates with its magical colors, bright holidays, and special rituals. When it comes to Chinese New Year graphics for your online and offline projects, we will share a few examples for your better understanding.
What Does This Holiday Mean for the Chinese?
For the Chinese, the new year is associated with the beginning of spring, the awakening of nature and sowing works. It is believed that on Chinese New Year, winter meets spring and a new countdown begins.
For China, the New Year is a family holiday. Family members come from all over the world to celebrate the beginning of the new year together. They believe that at this time, even the spirits of deceased relatives join the family circle. There is also enough time for fairs, masquerades, and open-air folk festivals.
During the Chinese New Year celebration, people exchange gifts. What to present if you decide to celebrate? Traditionally, the Chinese exchange red envelopes with money, beads of coins, and tangerines. But anything that symbolizes wealth will do. With this gift, you wish a person well-being and prosperity next year.
Each new year, the Chinese are forced to hide from a monster named Nian. It came on the first day of the holiday to ruin all the settlements. In ancient times, the Chinese once saw how a terrible Nian was afraid of a small child in red clothes. People then decided that the monster was fearsome red, and since then, they wear something red during the Chinese New Year. Every street and house is decorated in red. Red lanterns appear on the streets, door couplets on red paper with wishes of good and happiness. Besides, the Chinese detonate fireworks and firecrackers from the first to the last day of the celebration to scare away evil spirits with a loud noise.
If talking about design, we can observe many red colors, dragons, snakes, and other symbols of China. Let's grab some inspiration.
Review of the Top Modern Chinese New Year Designs
Traditionally, we send numerous postcards to our relatives and friends before the New Year and decorate our online projects. Chinese New Year graphics, various illustrations, and topical pictures create a unique holiday atmosphere and festive mood. Here are a few examples you can use for your Chinese New Year ecard design and any other needs.
Let's start with free solutions.
Golden Сhinese New Year 2021
2021 will be the year of the white metal ox. The Chinese believe that an animal transmits its distinctive characteristics to the year in which it rules. The ox horoscope sign has such qualities as determination, firmness, tradition, and hard work. The element of metal gives it an iron will, and the white color - self-confidence. Download this free .EPS file that you can easily edit in Adobe Illustrator and adjust the graphics to your project. Remember, there is no need to have any advanced technical skills to cope with the design.
Сhinese New Year 2021
Take a look at another free Chinese New Year card design. The product is made in golden color with a symbol of the New Year in the center. Feel free to use it in commercial and personal projects on digital or printed media. A golden color symbolizes not the only luxury — it is considered the color of health, optimism, and vitality. The golden hue helps you relax and feel more comfortable. It also symbolizes mutual love and forgiveness. Do you like this meaning? Stop your choice on this beautiful design.
Colorful Chinese New Year 2021
If you want to add colors, cartoon charm, and modernity, do not hesitate to choose this Chinese New Year card design. The work is all very funny, friendly, and not scary at all. Download it for free an unlimited number of times. It is easy to apply any modifications to the graphics with the help of Adobe Illustrator. Whether you are working on media projects for China's national holiday, the spring festival, or the New Year, that is an excellent solution.
Chinese New Year Mockup Illustration
If you are a fan of the red color, choose this free Chinese New Year vector design. The red color in psychology means leadership, perseverance, dynamism, but at the same time rigidity, intolerance, stubbornness. Every major holiday has a classic color scheme. When talking about the New Year celebration in Asia, red and gold colors prevail. Society has long associated the New year with this classic color combo. This Chinese New Year mockup illustration is perfect for both online and offline projects.
Chinese Sakura Tree
Among the main features of the national character of the Asian people, one of the central places belongs to the desire for beauty and grace. That is why the people treat Sakura with such awe and tenderness. The plant's flowering time falls on the period from February till April - the days of the spring equinox and the season of religious holidays. This free item includes a Sakura sprig in its design, and it is perfect for the New Year projects. Red and golden colors in the design will put you in a festive spirit right away.
Here are a few examples of high-quality premium solutions.
Original Traditional Paintings Illustration
Are you looking for the original watercolor paintings with symbols of the East? You have just found the perfect illustration for the Chinese New Year dragon design. You can see Buddha as a spiritual master, the jungle's strength, Kintaro, and the Japanese dragon. The Japanese carp is the symbol of perseverance, and finally, the Bengal tiger is a symbol of death and lightning. The pack comes with five files in .PSD, .JPG, .PNG formats. Feel free to use this premium product for any creative project.
Magic Dragon Vector
Modern Chinese New Year design templates are an excellent way out when you need to craft a beautiful greeting card or a poster. The Chinese call themselves "children of the dragon", or "descendants of the dragon". The Chinese dragon is a symbol of the ethnic identity of the Chinese. Being the embodiment of good power, they also command the water element, control rains and floods. Pay attention to this vector dragon in a cartoon style to decorate your project. The package includes three files in .EPS, .AI, and .JPG formats.
Chinese New Year Corporate Identity Template
Today, it is not easy to imagine more effective advertising media that recognizes the brand more than a developed corporate identity. Whether you work on a flyer, invitation design, or a corporate poster, you can avoid the hassle. Ready-made Chinese New Year design pictures will simplify your life and do not require any technical skills. You will get .PSD files that are ready for your modification. You are welcome to change colors and text to fit your needs.
Card with Snake Vector
This premium-quality vector illustration shows a fire snake. In Chinese culture, the snake is the most mysterious animal of the Chinese zodiac. The snake and the dragon are often interchangeable in China. The symbolic meaning of the snake is polyvalent. The ancients' snake represented the change of day and night, the change of seasons, wisdom, and the guardian of happiness. The package comes with 100% scalable vector files that are fully editable in the Adobe Illustrator program.
Dragon Vector Template
If you prefer an illustration of an abstract dragon on a white background, that is a great option. The product includes 100% scalable vector files that you are welcome to edit to your preferences. Since the dragon is a significant symbol in Chinese culture, it is not surprising that a lot of legends and myths are associated with it. When talking about the Chinese New Year, we bet you will come across many graphics showing this powerful symbol. Pick up the illustration and design of a Chinese New Year dragon to deliver the right Chinese atmosphere.
Chinese New Year Design FAQ
If you are interested in premium solutions, pay attention to the TemplateMonster library of ready-made graphics instead of surfing the web. Modern, responsive, feature-rich products will simplify your life tremendously. Choose the best one for your project and start creating your custom design with no hassle. With the left pane's help, you can set up the specific criteria and filter the best results due to your needs.
Run through a few simple steps to enjoy the purchase:
Decide on the best layout for your project and click the ‘Add to Cart’ button.
Think over if you want to add any additional services and click ‘Checkout Now’.
Complete the checkout process.
Check your email for the download instructions.
To avoid risks, always use red as the primary color. For secondary colors, you can use gold, silver, yellow, and green. Other colors are not suitable for the season. Several images have a negative connotation for Chinese – do not use them:
the clock watches are related to the funeral;
chrysanthemums are a traditional flower for commemorations;
a green hat is a sign of treason;
knives, swords, and needles are considered deadly weapons that should never be present during celebrations;
umbrellas and pears are a sign of separation.
Modern Chinese New Year design includes red and golden colors mostly, an animal as a symbol of the new year, and beautiful fonts. If you want to associate your design with Chinese cultural traditions, make sure you have analyzed enough information to succeed.
2021 is a year a white metal ox - restrained color and iron character, these are the main characteristics of the year. Sure thing, a beautiful ox will be included in the bright Chinese New Year graphics. The ox is a confident and calm symbol, so you should not expect shocks from the year. Pay attention to yourself, your family, and your career - this is all that the ox respects so much and will do everything possible to promote your well-being in these areas.