My role on this project: lead designer
Background
Originally named Butterfly Tea by the new owner, the business came with a ready supplier line and a packet deal (which was why we needed to design for that particular packet). We had a size specification, but the branding and label design were fair game.
The problem
People want a reasonably priced, high quality tea to enjoy for their special moments, which they can order online.
The challenge
A recently purchased tea business needed renaming, rebranding, and package design, including some basic guidance on the website. However, there was no choosing new packaging, so the label needed to do the heavy lifting. But how do we make a product look high quality and sophisticated with a slim budget?
The research
After a workshop with the client and having a look at the online tea market, we understood that this brand positioning needed a more personal touch. To provide more authenticity, we drew from our client that they had a Malaysian family background, specifically Peranakan, and a special relationship to tea, so we focused on that for influence. Our main persona was a woman of taste and little time, and one who very much valued taking a moment for herself with a cup of amazing tea.
Leaning into to both Peranakan and tea culture, this particular brand would need to show an authentic integrity of nurture and remedy as well, but said as simply as possible. However we wanted to lean into the online shopping culture as well, and for our market that meant a mixture of neutral colours, but with accents of Peranakan pastels. In essence we were trying to achieve a sophisticated simplicity, quiet but impactful, and highly desirable.
The visuals
We started with a strong typographical visual language. We chose Syne for that sexy visual display impact, and Work Sans to round it all out. The added benefit of Work Sans was that it was designed by a Chinese born Australian, optimised for screen viewing but beautiful in print as well. However it was Playfair Display that won for the logo.
The logo essentially was meant to emulate a high value brand, stated with subtlety. There would be no shouting with this level of elegance. However, this need to go on a physical package as well as other mediums. So we made 3 versions.
Although this product would be purchased online, our goal was to have something the consumer would be happy to display on their home shelf with pride. Sometimes the simplest things stand out the most. We kept the front clean and direct. However the back needed a fair amount of information in a small space. We took influence from minimalist package design with a scientific flair for strength and authority. This utilitarianism needed to be seen as a preference, not a consolation.
In this case, we were largely inspired by Jessica Walsh, who spoke of how to take a an approach with a smaller budget with simple, minimal visuals and making it purposeful and deliberate. We also took inspiration from other highly typographical and simple colour designs.
The packaging labels
We moved on to our own packaging then. After many iterations we landed on our look and lockup.
Going mainly typographic with this project, we avoided logo icons. However, a simple graphic element (a simple leaf) that we added for subtle elegance became the base element for most of our unique industry icons (hand made). We also made a pregnancy warning icon, with a small adjustment to the cup to make it more like a mug (because the little things matter), though it didn’t make the final cut. We still love it.
A constraint of the design was colour. While the website and marketing could make use of our colour palette of nature tones, complimentary hues and soft neutrals mixed with the brighter Peranakan pastels, the labels on the packet needed to remain a single colour. We stayed with black to keep printing costs down, and to maintain a purposeful minimalism. This has been an immense help to the client.
With digital marketing, the simplicity of the brand could still be strong on a vibrant visual backdrop. The idea is that the brand is right for whatever special moment you want to create for yourself. These were examples that the client could use as inspiration.
We recommended keeping the website simple and elegant. A calming e-commerce experience that allowed for a pleasant buying experience and a promise of a quality, valuable product. We mocked up a few high fidelity layouts to help give an indication of what to aim for. The client was already planning on creating the site herself
An example below of what the client has been able to do with our recommendations.
Final thoughts
The business is thriving and the tea is great. That's a little beside the point though. In this case the key was consistently checking against the reality of the of delivery. We had to be sure the label would look right when it was live. Big constraints often need big creativity, and this was no exception. There's a few bags on the shelf now to prove it works. It was a great project to work on, and to be proud of.
