Thursday 11 April 2013

something's brewing

naha tea goes live:
www.nahatea.de



naha tea – münchen
brand development

A Sri-Lankan import to Munich, Nadeeka Cyril-Corsten had been modestly selling her fabulous Ceylon tea to friends and a slow-growing, discerning customer base in a quiet, non-branded fashion. When I was first invited to one of her tea tastings, I swooned at the aromas wafting out of her kitchen only to be flatly disappointed by the accompanying product presentation – a somewhat generic looking vacuum-sealed cardboard canister that she proudly wanted to promote. The tea was great, no doubt, so a few tins ended up stocked in our tea cupboard but I knew, that like all good brews, it was merely a matter of time before I would convince her to properly brand her product and help bring her business to a true boil.

A year or so later, and after working on a few transient flyers for her, I managed to sneak in a few ideas for a possible new logo and subsequent packaging line which piqued an interest. After convincing her to let me brainstorm it more thoroughly, we met last Fall to review my conceptual outlines for the brand. We broke from that meeting, both energized by the initial brand ideas and some rather loose name directions. Before we knew it, Toronto-based, & fellow risd classmate, Patricia Aziz had been commissioned to refine our broad brushstrokes into tight pen&ink and the previously used "Nadeeka Has Tea" company name, was condensed to a more punchy and interpretive Naha Tea. 



The wordmark is set in Eric Gill's elegant Perpetua.
Released in 1929, contemporary to the final years of
British Colonial rule of Ceylon
and dawning of modern-day Sri-Lanka.



Native to Sri-Lanka, the peacock seemed a natural choice for this high-end brand of quality tea. Not only iconic of the exoticism of the Far East, the peacock's fleeting, proud tail-feather display also acts as symbolic reminder to enjoy life's ephemeral beauty. The simple act of appreciating a fine cup of tea. Slowing down. Going off-line. Taking time for yourself. The Naha Tea brand invites you to "Savour the Moment.".

Naha Tea's call to action: Savour the Moment.
On facebook? Become a fan.
 

Determined to source domestic Sri-Lankan materials, naturally-finished Albizia tea chests were selected for the packaging. By January, the chests were stamped in simple black, providing a nostalgic flair and in turn individually finished and sealed, here in Munich, with distinctive, modern color-sets of uncoated labels emblazoned with the peacock in a contrasting glossy, silver-foil stamping. Simple but stunning. Thank you to Druckerei Vogl for sanely handling my neurotic eye for detail and to Prägedruck Möst for the beautiful hand-crafting of the peacock.


your personal tea chest:
100g of loose tea goodness


a range of distinctive flavors



Press action:
Printing, palettes & pre-selections of foil-stamping




Heavy metal:
The peacock comes to life: Hello lovely lavender!



Stationery, gift certificates, stickers and tote bags were prepared and online shop/website was programmed in parallel to the packaging to ensure a comprehensive brand experience for the April launch.




business card
doubles as recommendation note



Toting in style



the Gift of Giving

Here's hoping that Naha Tea will now proudly adorn tea services, kitchens and shops alike with it's tactile luxury. It was an intensive yet rewarding collaborative process - and now it's time for a break – come to think of it – time to put the kettle on…




 



4 comments:

  1. the beautiful peacock says it all

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  2. You did an awesome job, Heather! Everything looks absolutely gorgeous.

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  3. Bianca Martinelli11 April 2013 at 21:21

    Wowsers. When you two ladies work together, magic happens!

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  4. hey beeks, your red pistols add the perfect touch ;-)
    tx michelle… now get busy ordering!!

    ReplyDelete