Zephyr Coffee Co

Design: Unordinary
Location: New Zealand
Project Type: Produced
Client: Zephyr Coffee Co
Product Launch Location: New Zealand
Packaging Contents: Coffee Beans
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Paper, Foil bags
Printing Process: Offset

THINKING
Zephyr Coffee Co engaged us to position them as a new challenger brand in the highly competitive coffee market.

The brief was to focus on the idea of craft and coffee expertise in a youthful and unexpected way, cutting through the traditional visual codes found in the coffee packaging.

Deliverables where a system for packaging that can be expanded on and refreshed in the future across the packaging for 1kg and small 250g coffee blends that would stand out in a crowded coffee bean landscape while telling an interesting story.

CONCEPT
We proposed embracing the idea of craft in much more holistic way, versus traditional notions of what craft means.

We put forward the idea of embracing the best crafters in their respective fields for every part of the process from branding to packaging to coffee carts and campaigns – creating a brand that is more about an entire team of craftspeople rather than a small sliver of coffee experts.

The idea was encompassed in the words ‘Crafters, Creators and Collaborators’ to express this expanded notion of craft, which we then articulated to customers by translating the concept across every part of the identity spectrum.

EXECUTION
We started by creating a ‘thumbprint’ symbol for ‘Crafters, Creators and Collaborators’ which represents the essence of the brand.

Next, a no nonsense wordmark was conceived based on old cafe pegboard type but with hint of quirkiness thanks to a few bespoke letterforms.

A rich and fresh blue colour was implemented to avoid the overpopulated coffee landscape of blacks, browns and reds.

We then employed the best New Zealand mural artists to come up with ‘mini murals’ that act as wraps for the coffee flavours. The wrap execution on the packaging resembles a frame for the artwork, again using craft to reinforce the Zephyr story as well as providing cafés and retailers with bespoke artwork for their walls.

This system of hero-ing and highlighting different New Zealand artists for each coffee blend within a framework allows the packaging to be easily updated and fresh with new artwork while remaining consistent at a brand level.

The added bonus is we give upcoming artists and craftspeople a platform to showcase their work and engage a wider and more youthful coffee drinking audience.

What’s Unique?
We have executed a unique wrap for coffee varietals around a standardized foil bag to save on costs and also be easily updated with new blends. Smaller 250g retail versions were also created as well as bespoke coffee cups.