Peace Coffee Cold Brews
Packaging, branding, and experiential design for a ready-to-drink coffee sub-brand
Roles
Visual Design
Concept Development
Packaging
Experiential Design
Tools
Illustrator
Photoshop
Procreate
Timeline: 10 weeks
Team: Solo project
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Peace Coffee is a socially-conscious coffee company that stands out for its inclusive, friendly brand values and its playful, cheerful visual design. Its current product lines include coffee beans, grounds, and pods.
After closing its brick & mortar café during the pandemic, Peace Coffee wanted to reach out to customers on the go with a line of ready-to-drink beverages. They needed a product concept with packaging that remained true to Peace Coffee’s character and values while departing from its original look and feel. The new product line then needed memorable designed experiences to introduce it to sellers and the public.
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The new cold brew sub-brand is informed by customer research and uses a modern design system easily adaptable to many flavor varieties and seasonal specialties. The cold brew packaging speaks to busy yet stylish customers by combining elevated type and color treatments with friendly copywriting and practical bottle design.
The line of cold brews will be introduced to the public through a pop-up coffee truck and to sellers at a trade show. Both experiences are inspired by short-release holiday flavors and the theme of lights, which creates visual interest, builds excitement, and connects customers to the welcoming and wholesome spirit at the heart of the brand.
Packaging Design
The line of cold brews is packaged in 12-oz brown glass stubby bottles that feel elegant but also fit in cup holders and bags for convenient on-the-go use. Dark brown glass reflects the richness of the coffee flavor while brightly colored graphics allow the product to stand out from pastels and dark competitors on the shelf. Illustrations reflect the cheery, playful spirit of the Peace Coffee brand and can adapt easily to new flavors and special seasonal releases.
Existing Logo
Typography
Color
Graphic Elements
Experiential Design
Designed experiences introduce the new line of cold brews during the busy holiday season, when urban dwellers are bustling to various festive events and shopping for gifts. The bright light theme captures the joy of the season while catching the eye and imagination during dark winter weather.
Pop-Up Coffee Truck
The cold brew coffee truck is a build-out of the Piaggio Ape V-Smart electric vehicle, allowing service of cold brews on tap alongside seasonal pastries and pre-bottled coffee. Throughout the month of December, the pop-up will be stationed at different busy shopping, working, and festive locations in the city, for example, in the Seattle Center where there are annual holiday events and the Seattle Monorail picks up passengers for a direct trip to downtown holiday shopping.
Trade Show Booth
The trade show booth features eye-catching LED-lit ribbons that mimic the lines of the cold brew packaging. Brightly-lit refrigerators showcase the product and are easy for visitors to access and employees to restock. An interactive shadow wall invites booth visitors to dance, pose, or take selfies. Peace Coffee representatives are present to provide a warm welcome, assist with taking pictures, discuss the brand, and offer drinks and gifts. In addition to the coffee drinks themselves, branded Peace Coffee give-aways include holiday gift wrapping paper and matching light-up necklaces.
Process
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![Collage of existing Peace Coffee brand showing social media ads, coffee packaging, and descriptions of the company]()
1. Brand Research
My first step was to research the existing Peace Coffee company including its mission, values, history, product lines, and presence in stores and community settings.
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![Collage of existing ready-to-drink coffee packages]()
2. Market Research
Next, I reviewed the market for ready-to-drink coffee beverages. I made observations about the visual style of brands on the shelves in settings where Peace Coffee might desire to sell. I also learned that customers tend to choose ready-to-drink coffees for a variety of reasons including unique flavors with alternative ingredients, convenience, price point, and social responsibility.
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![three mood boards. one has a flat, patterned illustration style. one is bright and hand-crafted. one has is type-centered and darker in feel.]()
3. Mood Boards
Based on the research, I developed 3 possible directions for the visual look and feel of the new cold brew line. The bold, quirky, and genuine mood board wa chosen for its uniqueness, ability to convey smooth elegance without being overly formal, and its ability to stand out boldly on the shelf.
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![5 packaging concepts for cold brew coffee with notes sketched next to them]()
4. Packaging Concept Development
BaIed on the mood board, I developed several potential packaging concepts with a range of variation from the brand’s existing style. Multiple bottle and can styles were explored. A brown glass stubby bottle style was chosen as the best match for Peace Coffee’s target audience.
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![four iterations of the cold brew label, beginning with a sketch and ending with a photographic-looking mockup]()
5. Packaging Refinements
I developed the sketch into the final package design, adjusting the layout for better legibility and allowing space to include all required information within the actual bottle dimensions. I also added copywriting for each beverage flavor.
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![sketches of point of sale displays and pop up tuk tuk truck]()
7. Consumer Touchpoint Concept to Final
Initially, I envisioned a point-of-sale display as the customer touchpoint that would bring attention to the new product line. However, after iterating on this theme, I realized that an electric vehicle-based pop-up experience would better allow the product line to shine (literally!) for a wider audience at festive events and would be more in line with the brand’s sustainable and human-centered values.
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![many small sketches of trade show concepts with scribbled notes]()
8. Trade Show Concept Brainstorming
For the trade show, I explored several concepts showcasing different aspects of the new cold brew beverage line with potential interactive and Instagrammable experiences.
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![sketch and final illustration of trade show booth concept with a shadow wall, lights, and people dancing and making purchases]()
9. Trade Show Refinements
Final refinements to the trade show design were informed by the wrapping ribbon-like lines of the cold brew packaging while keeping logistical factors such as sight lines, likely floor plan layout, and flow of foot traffic in mind.
