Packaging & Merchandising Design | Project 2 - Taylors Coffee Cup Design
16/10/2024 - 30/10/2024 / Week 4 - Week 6
Kerly Ooi / 0358726
Packaging & Merchandising Design / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University
Project 02 | Coffee Cup Design
BRIEF
In project 2 (group work), we had to design an 8 oz coffee cup for Taylor's Culinary Institute. We were to read through the brief given and are expected to design a coffee cup for upcoming Taylor's Open Day. The goal is to create a visually appealing and functional coffee cup that promotes sustainability while reinforcing the brand identity.
Target Audience:
- Environmentally conscious, coffee enthusiasts, and young professionals and students.
Visual Elements:
- Incorporate brand logo
- Colour palette that reflects the brand's identity
- Unique patterns or illustrations that resonate with the target audience
Functionality:
- Comfortable grip and economical shape
- Lidded option for on-the-go convenience
Inspiration:
- Nature and sustainability themes
- Minimalist design trends
- Artistic coffee culture
TASK
Progression
Visual research:
To begin our project, we conducted visual research to get inspiration for coffee cup design. We looked at themes including nature and sustainability, as well as minimalist design trends, creative coffee culture, and multiple colour schemes. This research helped us in developing designs that are consistent with both our client's brand identity and their commitment to sustainability.
Concept 01 | Minimalist Nature
Theme 01 Nature’s Revival” or Return to Nature
This Theme revolves around the idea of reconnecting with nature while emphasising the importance of sustainability and environmental consciousness. The design elements, such as leaf motifs and earthy tones, serve as visual metaphors for nature and eco-friendliness. The goal is to evoke feelings of serenity and harmony with the environment, subtly reminding consumers of the importance of protecting the planet. Nature Elements: The leaf patterns and minimal use colors are inspired by natural forms and textures, symbolising the revival of nature through sustainable practices. Sustainability Focus: The design reinforces the use of biodegradable materials (paper cups), promoting an eco-friendly lifestyle.
Theme 02 Minimalist Elegance
This Theme combines the idea of minimalism with the artistic beauty of nature and coffee culture. The design avoids complexity by using clean lines, negative space, and simple, subtle visual elements that give the cup a sophisticated and modern look. The minimalist design is intended to be timeless, stylish, and versatile, appealing to a wide audience without sacrificing functionality. Simplicity: The minimalist approach removes unnecessary clutter, allowing the brand logo and leaf motifs to stand out while maintaining visual harmony.
Nature-inspired Tones: The use of various shades of green (Dark Olive Green, Laurel Green, etc.) directly evokes a connection to nature, which aligns with sustainability themes. Green is often associated with growth, renewal, and eco-friendliness, making it a great fit for environmentally conscious consumers.
Earthy and Neutral Accents: The use of colors like Camel, Russet, and Alloy Orange introduces earthy, warm tones that complement the green shades. These hues give the design an organic, grounded feel, which resonates well with sustainability and nature themes.
Artistic Coffee Culture: The warmer tones (Alloy Orange and Russet) subtly reference coffee beans and coffee-related aesthetics.
Sketches:
Following a conversation with Charmine, we decided to sketch two coffee cup design concepts: minimalist and abstract (nature concept) .Below are our initial sketches.
Concept 02 Professional identity and uniqueness & Healthy and environmental protection values
Through symbolic cooking elements, the culinary professional characteristics of TAYLOR'S CULINARY INSTITUTE can be intuitively conveyed. These elements can not only arouse people's association with cooking skills, but also emphasize the educational value of the institute.
Healthy and environmental protection values: Combining natural elements further strengthens the institute's emphasis on healthy eating and environmental protection concepts.
Theme 01 Only symbolic cooking elements
Through patterned cooking elements, a simple and design-rich visual effect is created. People can recognize this course related to cooking at a glance.
Theme 02 Symbolized cooking elements combined with natural elements
Incorporating natural landscapes or plant elements into the design to create an atmosphere of harmonious coexistence with nature, conveying the concept of health and sustainability.
Reason: This cup can be directly associated with the Culinary Institute, not only the cooking skills are transmitted, but also the values of the institute's focus on health and environmental protection.
Concept 03 Internationalization and Diversity
Taylor's University's inclusiveness and international vision express the school's open attitude through multiple languages and showcase the campus's diverse culture.
Theme 01 Multilingual Welcome
Choose different languages and write "Welcome" on the cup in a creative way.
Reason: Multilingual welcome can attract the attention of international students, and also make them feel the campus's inclusiveness and respect, and enhance their sense of belonging to the school.
We have new ideas, but we don't give up old ideas. Kerly is responsible for digitizing old ideas, and I am responsible for digitizing new ideas.
Digitisation:
These are the result of mine and Charmine's digitisation of Concept 01, 02 & 03.
Miss chose multilingual creative and asked us to change the typography and layout arrangement. The color also needs to be changed. Because what does green have to do with Taylors, green wants tea instead of coffee.We have made improvements and enhancements to it. We have also designed more layouts.
Final Attempt
SUBMISSION
FEEDBACK
Week 4
Exercises :
General feedback : Ensure that your concept clearly explains the product's purpose. Design with intention, incorporating meaning into every element—this is what offers true value and attracts clients.
Specific feedback : Colour is fine, but we may need additional sketches since the first eight ideas should be designs we commonly see, and new ideas typically come to us only after we've exhausted these familiar ones.
Week 5
Exercises :
General feedback : Miss gave us the lecture on packaging design to ensure we're familiar with the key points for designing packaging in our upcoming task.
Specific feedback : Miss commented on the other designs and said how does green related to Taylors and the other design might no be suitable for a coffee cup. Miss picked the multilingual idea and asked us to make changes to the typographic & layout arrangements. Make changes to the colour as well.
Week 6
Exercises :
Specific feedback : Miss commented that the final outcome seems ok.
REFLECTIONS
Experience
Designing a coffee cup for Taylor's Culinary Institute taught me crucial lessons about the need of inclusivity and identity in design. This experience emphasised the necessity of images that reflect the client's values.
Observation
Seeing how varied aspects might be worked into a single design, I realised the importance of subtle symbols of culture, such as the chef's cap, in resonating with distinct audiences while being universally appealing. This approach requires a careful balance: employing the chef's insignia to showcase the institute's culinary essence and multilingual language to honour Taylor's dedication to inviting students from all around the world. I discovered that the chef's icon was very beneficial in fostering a feeling of pride and belonging in culinary students, while the bilingual "Welcome" offered a welcoming mood that spoke to the larger campus culture.
Findings
This project taught me that inclusive design is more than just integrating varied aspects, it's about developing an effective narrative that connects with consumers on several levels. It emphasised the significance of empathy in design, examining how a simple coffee cup may elicit a sense of connection and identification. These discoveries have helped me better understand how to create designs that are both practical and culturally relevant.
FURTHER READING
The website that I decided to read is:
When choosing colours, here are a few principles to keep in mind:
- Keep it simple and try to only use 2 or 3 complimentary colours (colours that are opposite each other on the colour wheel). People like simplicity and it makes your package easier to understand. There is an inherent danger in using too many colours as each colour has meaning and adds or takes away from your message if used incorrectly.
- Try to use contrast to make elements on your package stand out. People often assume a difference in colour is what makes contrast but that’s not true. You might have two colours that are completely different but have no contrast because their tone is the same. To test out your colours contrast, turn them into grayscale and review their contrast.
- Keep in mind your target market. Blue is liked universally by both genders while there is little agreement between men and women when it comes to purple. Men tend to prefer bold colours and shades (colours with black added), whereas women are more receptive to tints of colours (colours with white added). Also, be aware that cultural perception plays a strong role in colour appropriateness which in turn can influence choices.
- Test different colour options. You cannot know how your audience will respond to your package colour until you test. Mock-ups should be tested and a full category analysis should be performed. At shelf shopper research and eye tracking can help optimize your package prior to launch.
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