In May 2024, Digital Architecture Lab (DAL) began a year-long journey with Happiness Capital. Our first milestone in this partnership was to organize and celebrate their signature event: the Happiness Family Day in Bhutan. In this post, our team members Daum, Oliver, and Zoe reflect on the design process, share behind-the-scenes insights, and explore what lies ahead in this meaningful partnership.


About Happiness Capital

Operating as a global venture capital firm under the Lee Kum Kee Group umbrella, Happiness Capital stands out with its B Corp certification and unique dual focus: maximizing both investor returns and stakeholder happiness.

As stated on their website, Happiness Capital’s investment philosophy is built on three foundational beliefs:

  • Investment in mission-aligned startups and VC funds helps shape a happier entrepreneurial ecosystem
  • The “6677 spirit” drives patient capital deployment, embracing innovation despite short-term challenges
  • Equal emphasis on Happiness Return and Financial Return creates scalable positive impact

Happiness Capital’s portfolio reflects this commitment to transformative change. Notable investments include ClearSpace, which earned recognition in Time’s Best Inventions of 2023, and Gozen, a pioneer in microorganism-based biomaterial development. During our Bhutan visit, Gozen’s groundbreaking innovations (vegan, plastic-free material created by microorganisms through fermentation) were presented to Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Bhutan.


Our Collaboration

Happiness Capital’s distinctive approach—creating measurable impact while nurturing well-being—aligns naturally with DAL’s practice over theory framework for human flourishing. Both organizations share a fundamental belief: meaningful impact requires looking beyond conventional metrics to develop evidence-based methods for measuring what enriches human lives. Our experience  in crafting organic, joyful experiences complements Happiness Capital’s mission, leading to a year-long partnership focused on two key initiatives:

  1. Happiness Family Day in Bhutan Our inaugural project brought together the Lee family, entrepreneurs, investors, and partners for Happiness Capital’s annual gathering. Set against the backdrop of Thimphu, Bhutan’s capital city, the event embodied the theme “A Mindful Journey Towards Sustainable Happiness.”
  2. Japanese Market Digital Strategy Our ongoing initiative focuses on expanding Happiness Capital’s digital presence in Japan. This includes managing their Japanese website and Note account, while supporting upcoming events planned for December 2024.



Experience Architecture for Happiness Family Day 

In September 2024, DAL hosted a Family Day for Happiness Capital with 120 participants. While we have designed internal team retreats, this marked our first venture into creating “experience architecture” for a client.

At DAL, experience architecture refers to experience designed to strengthen community bonds and foster organic connections between participants. We craft environments, designs, tools and activities where individuals naturally come together, share experiences, and form meaningful relationships, rather than forcing interactions through structured networking. Through exploration of “spaces” for authentic dialogue, mutual understanding can emerge naturally within the community context.

At the heart of Happiness Capital’s philosophy lies the concept of “We > I.” As Sammy Lee, CEO of Lee Kum Kee Group, emphasizes, “We” becomes a powerful narrative when individuals unite as a team. This foundational belief shaped every aspect of their Family Day gatherings, serving not just as a guiding principle but as the very essence of the experience itself.

To bring this collective philosophy to life, DAL developed a multi-layered approach to create a family day that builds community. First, we designed visuals and applications to manage group logistics while fostering connections. Working with our local Bhutanese agency Dheyma as well as a variety of local talents, we planned the itinerary, transportation, communication channels, and event video documentation. We organized activities including hikes, ice-breakers, and photo booths complete with Happiness special goodies. Finally, we conducted an event survey to gather feedback and insights for next year’s Family Day.


a) Visualizing the event – Zoe

We began with visual storytelling. We collaborated with Happiness Capital’s branding agency, Relish, and our creative designer, Zoe, to transform philosophical principles into compelling visual elements.

We wanted to create a visual identity that harmoniously blended Happiness Capital’s new brand elements with traditional Bhutanese aesthetics, guided by our theme: “A Mindful Journey Towards Sustainable Happiness.” The visual assets can be found here. Our design process followed these key phases;

  1. Extensive research into Bhutanese culture, examining daily life, cuisine, traditions, attire, and belief systems
  2. Comprehensive analysis of Happiness Capital’s brand elements, including values, portfolio, and existing color palette
  3. Development of a unified color system for cohesive application across all materials


Our design merged Happiness Capital’s brand palette with Bhutan’s prayer flag colors—white (good fortune), yellow (victory), red (wish fulfillment), blue (health), and green (compassion)—creating a visual language that honors both corporate identity and cultural symbolism.


4. A core design principle for the Happiness Capital event was sustainability and waste reduction. Recognizing that event materials often become single-use waste, we implemented these mindful production strategies:

  • Thoughtful Gift Selection We reimagined corporate gifts by selecting practical items that would serve both immediate and long-term purposes. In place of typical corporate novelties, we curated quality Imabari handkerchiefs, traditional Bangchung baskets, Infinitus tea, and locally crafted Takin dolls.
    • Innovative Paper Conservation We minimized paper waste by applying Japanese origami techniques to create multi-page brochures from single sheets. The design leveraged digital platforms on Notion for detailed schedules and participant information, significantly reducing our paper usage.

      5. Event Visual Conceptualization: Visual translation of abstract concepts like “mindful journey” and “sustainable development” presented a unique design challenge. To overcome this, we began by creating a map of associated language and imagery for mindfulness and sustainability to build our visual vocabulary.

      • Design Foundation: The concept was anchored in three key themes: “Co-” (create, operate, exist), “Welfare,” and “Ecosystem,” emphasizing cyclical sustainability and shared progress. These themes highlighted how economic development should nurture both people and society, creating a flourishing ecosystem that supports collective well-being.
      • Visual Representation: We transformed the physical journey from Paro to Thimphu into a tree-shaped path, symbolizing both human connection and sustainable growth. The road, enriched with colors and leaves, represented both historical co-creation and mindful awareness, while the tree embodied sustainability and community gathering.
      • Application: The final design found its home across all event materials, from physical brochures and name cards to wristbands and the photo booth backdrop. The visual narrative maintained consistency throughout the participant experience.


      b) Thoughtful human touches

        Every aspect of the event was carefully orchestrated to ensure participants felt genuinely cared for, with attention paid to even the smallest details. From practical considerations like allergy icons on name cards and color-coded bus identification systems that harmonized with both Happiness Capital’s palette and Bhutanese culture, to thoughtful touches like conversation cards for meaningful connections, and Takin dolls for children on flights. The design aligned consistently with our themes of sustainability and mindfulness, while practical care extended to providing Japanese chocolate and electrolyte powder for those affected by altitude during hikes.


        c) Adding an element of fun – Oliver

        We enhanced the event experience through playful yet purposeful design choices that encouraged engagement and connection. Japanese fans served dual purposes as group identifiers and photo props, while daily conversation cards and a magnifying sheet photo booth with company logos added memorable touches to participant interactions.

        The Marshmallow Challenge energized participants post-lunch, as teams competed to build the tallest tower using only marshmallows and pasta noodles. This playful exercise mirrors the entrepreneurial journey—where innovation emerges through resource constraints and collaborative problem-solving.


        Gratitude and Impact 

        The event’s resounding success was reflected in our 9.8 overall satisfaction rating, with one participant noting, “In 30 years of being in business, this is simply one of the best organised and well thought through trips I have done.” This sentiment was echoed across numerous LinkedIn posts shared through our WhatsApp group. We are deeply grateful to all who made this possible: our innovative and energetic participants who inspired us throughout, Happiness Capital for their trust and partnership, Dheyma for their exceptional hospitality, and His Majesty for graciously welcoming us to Bhutan.



        What’s Next?

        An unexpected detour after a hike to Tiger’s Nest perfectly embodies the essence of experience architecture we aspire to create at Digital Architecture Lab. What began as a “wrong” turn—guided by the playful wisdom that “right is always right”—led us to a hidden temple where a chance encounter with a monk transformed our misadventure into an extraordinary experience. As we explored ancient Buddha statues, sipped holy water, and stepped around sun-dried chilies while listening to 800-year-old stories, we discovered that authentic connections often emerge from unplanned moments. This serendipitous encounter illustrates our core belief: true experience architecture isn’t about controlling every detail, but about creating spaces where magic can naturally unfold—where getting “lost” can sometimes lead to the most meaningful discoveries.

        In the same way, our collaboration with Happiness Capital has deepened our understanding of experience architecture, reinforcing our belief that genuine community emerges through authentic, heartfelt interactions. As we continue our partnership into 2025, we’re expanding Happiness Capital’s Japanese digital presence through entrepreneur stories and community engagement, working closely with the Happiness team and Relish.Looking ahead, we aim to elevate our experience design in three ways: creating even more seamless logistics so participants can fully immerse in the moment without practical concerns; designing richer multi-sensory experiences that encourage sharing and reflection; and developing more sophisticated interaction triggers that naturally spark both meaningful conversations and personal insights. These learnings from Bhutan will guide our future projects as we continue to refine our approach to experience architecture.



        A royal highlight of our journey was hosting Their Majesties, the King and Queen of Bhutan, at our welcome dinner, where we presented them with a Gozen-produced Balenciaga coat—a gesture so well-received that His Majesty surprised us with an unexpected visit to our business program the following morning.




        Daum Kim is the Deputy Architect at DAL (daum@dalab.xyz)

        Illustration:  Asuka Zoe Hayashi
        Edits:  Janine Liberty