Platinum Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design · 2022
Terra Coffee Roasters Branding
- A' Design Award 2022 Platinum Winner in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- CLIENT: Terra Coffee Roasters
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 565,053
- Verification code 0725FF8B7F · Verify this award
About Terra Coffee Roasters Branding
The curvilinear logo design with the theme of aroma drifting from the environment expresses a natural and high quality coffee experience. The individual labels are designed with a collage of local photographs that connect the producer's face with the place of origin, environment and consumers, and convey the individuality and charm of the unique coffee produced in each region.
This distinguished packaging system emerges from the contemporary specialty coffee movement's commitment to transparency and origin storytelling, representing a sophisticated synthesis of premium material culture with agricultural narrative that characterizes the third wave coffee aesthetic. The design demonstrates exceptional command of restraint, deploying a rigorously limited palette of matte black substrates and cool gray surfaces that establish an atmosphere of quiet luxury while allowing the singular photographic element to command attention through chromatic contrast. The hand-lettered logotype, executed with confident calligraphic flourishes and rendered in subtle metallic finish, suggests the artisanal values and human craftsmanship central to specialty coffee culture, while the choice of script letterforms evokes historical coffee house traditions translated into contemporary visual language. The photographic label wrapping the glass canister introduces a narrative dimension absent from the surrounding minimalism, presenting a collage of cultivation imagery that connects the consumer directly to distant agricultural landscapes and the hands that harvest each cherry. This juxtaposition of austere packaging geometry against documentary warmth creates a meaningful tension between designed object and natural origin, between the urban consumption context and equatorial growing region. The information hierarchy carefully balances romance with specificity, offering both evocative imagery and precise origin data including elevation, processing method, and tasting notes. Such comprehensive storytelling through packaging serves the educational mission central to specialty coffee culture while maintaining visual sophistication that positions the product within premium gift-giving contexts. Viewers might contemplate how material choices in packaging design can communicate values of sustainability, craft, and global connection before a single bean is brewed.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- As a design expression, the curved logo design that makes you feel the nature with the image of "aroma drifting from the environment" makes you experience natural and high-quality coffee. The label design collages local photographs to visually connect manufacturers and consumers, directly convey the producer's face and environment, and convey the appeal of the unique coffee produced in the production area. All packages are recyclable or reusable to protect the special soil and environment of the production area. It is a material that does not affect the environment even if it is discarded.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Bean glass bottle: 65mmx65mmx182mm
Bean glass bottle label: 69mmx117mm
Cold brew can: 64mmx64mmx112mm
Cold brew can label: 80mmx86mm
Box (Large): 255mmx213mmx73mm
Box (small): 77mmx194mmx73mm
Recipe card: 55mmx182mm
Business card: 55mmx91mm
Shopping bag: 320mmx172mmx260mm
Paper cup: 60mmx60mmx105mm - Tags
- Branding, Coffee, Graphicdesign, Package, Logo, Identity
- Production Technology
- To change the low awareness of the environment in Japan
We considered a design that consumers can easily work on and create a desire for environmental friendliness.
The main container is a reusable glass bottle.
The label shows the state of the production area and the face of the producer.
You can travel the world of coffee beans.
Although it is an abstract expression, I was particular about selling "taste including process", "imagination", and "experience" and "feeling". - Design Challenge
- The brand of beans changes frequently due to the number of production.
All labels are not mass-produced, and you need to use as many tools as you need according to the amount of beans produced, and that behavior leads to environmental friendliness. - Project Duration
- The brand started in October 2021 in Osaka, Japan. Currently there are two stores in Osaka.
- Operation Flow
- Consumers choose their favorite coffee brand and country and learn about the history and background of their coffee beans and production areas. Then, share the process of arriving in Japan with the barista and take it home.
After purchase, use the subscription service to replenish the beans, change the label and travel the world of coffee. You don't have to go to the store, so you can reduce unnecessary movement. In a broad sense, it also leads to carbon dioxide reduction. - Research
- In Japan, environmentally friendly plastic materials and manufacturing methods are still the mainstream of product packaging. Being a small roaster, not relying on mass production, packaging is not particularly important for using advanced materials, adopting simple glass bottles that were mainstream in the past, consumers using subscription services It is designed to be refilled while. Consumers can enjoy the brand change simply by changing the label.
- Inspiration
- Environment-oriented design development has finally become widespread in Japan, but it is still not enough.
Communication designs such as logos, packages and tools incorporate high quality and ethical awareness in every respect.
The mission is to "provide an experience as if you were in the production area".
It wanted to embody a sincere attitude of pursuing design creatively and sustainably.
The idea of design is to convey reality without abstraction. I felt that the expression was a simple and direct way to convey it to consumers. - Image Credits
- Photography : Yuma Gamae(Package,PR Tools)
Colors of Terra Coffee Roasters Branding
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Design Interview about Terra Coffee Roasters Branding
Health, everyday life, experiences, nature, and my country's culture and heritage.
The coexistence of sustainable packaging systems and artistry, and the narrative and visualization of the production site from the producer's climate to the consumer.
We plan to create a ripple effect in the industry as one of the coffee industry's new visual identities, and to promote the development and expressive potential of the design.
It took about a year from the client's order to the launch of the brand and visual identity.
A product without a concept will not convey the raison d'etre of the brand, and if there is a content or ideal that you really want to convey, a concept will naturally emerge. We have established the concept by repeatedly listening to the client's ideas and requests and tuning in. The designer makes proposals for means and methods of expression, materials, and their incorporation into specific graphic design.
We work in-house on graphic design, package design, and print specifications, and consult with other companies on production. For visual development, I act as art director and graphic designer, working with artists and photographers.
I don't think it is special, but no one had ever done a label design that combined art with visualization of the producer or production area, so I was confident that it would be a special expression in that respect, and I thought it would be very easy for consumers to understand.
There are too many to narrow it down to just one.
I think it's people all over the world who are interested in coffee.
I think it's not only the sustainable packaging system, but also the fact that it puts the visual focus from the production area to the consumer.
TERRA means “earth,” “soil,” and “globe” in Italian. The brand name expresses the connection from the coffee production area to consumers around the world, and to the protection of the earth itself.
Well-known design software and photo and digital collage software.
Designing a unified visual identity rather than a singular one. Starting with the brand logo, typography, label design, artwork development, packaging containers, and print specifications that define the brand, we ensure that all materials add value and build a reason for being.
We worked with photographers, artists specializing in digital collage, and printers to bring the labels to life.
Although seemingly contradictory, the greatest technological point is the coexistence of emotionality and narrative as well as functionality.
We conducted brand research on packaging design in our own country and around the world, including labels in our industry. We carefully researched not only the superficial design, but also the brand's philosophy, concept, and behavior to identify points of differentiation.
The challenges are a real and stable logistics system to demonstrate the concept in practice, sound financing, transparency, and sustainable economics.
First, I wanted to know how my design would be evaluated in a business that spans the globe, from procurement of raw materials to delivery of products to consumers, while creating a brand using communication design methods.
That each person, thing, place, and country has its own reason for existence and story. Translating them and expressing them in a way that is easy to convey using communication design methods is a task that tests one's own thinking and experience, and nothing can be done alone. Through the difficulty and discovery of the process of listening to as many people as possible and connecting them to all the elements of the project, I was able to grow greatly.
That a cup of coffee with an open mind can broaden your horizons as you travel the world.
Grand Interview about Terra Coffee Roasters Branding
I'm Japanese. The "kanji" we use on a daily basis developed like "hieroglyphs".Therefore, we believe that letters can express everything that is happening in the world through their lines and shapes, and we always reflect this attitude in our brand creation. Similarly, the "TERRA COFFEE ROASTERS" logo embeds the rich emotional emotions and experiences of coffee in every line and movement, aiming for a very organic design that feels like it is alive. I made it.
First, we will learn about the regional characteristics, climate, culture, industry, etc. of each coffee producing region, and then confirm the uniqueness that can only be harvested in that region. Of course, the flavor that comes from the coffee beans that can be harvested from each region varies, but just like humans, each coffee has its own personality and color. By combining local photographs, customs, and farm activities in a collage of colors, photographs, and graphics, which can only be expressed in the region of origin, the result is a visual that is unique. I thought about it and incorporated it into my design methods.
The biggest reason is that glass recycling is a system in their country and is commonplace. Glass containers are also odorless and preserve the flavor of the coffee inside. If they were made of plastic or other materials, the quality of the plastic could have a negative impact on the contents. We considered using paper for packaging, but if we wanted to add color to environmentally friendly, hygienic paper, we would have to print all over the surface, which would be very costly since we would have to be environmentally friendly not only for the paper itself but also for the printing. Glass is transparent, so we could show the color and shape of the beans, and it was an excellent choice for the theme of experience and the environment, so we planned to show that taking action to protect the environment protects the environment in the producing area and to make consumers aware of that idea.This is what makes it a true coffee experience that connects the producing area, the producers, and the taste of each.
It is very difficult to achieve both aesthetic appeal and environmental responsibility. I don't know if I've been able to do it perfectly. However, the depth of the word design is not simply about decorating the surface to sell a product, but about embodying various issues, backgrounds, and ideals in a realistic and rational way with the brand's philosophy. To achieve this, I think it is important to continue to gather information, carefully select materials, check the background of the materials used in the production of the product, and continue to question whether there is any contradiction between attention to detail, aesthetic sense, function, and effectiveness in everything.
The concept of reuse is becoming more and more popular around the world. Japan is a manufacturing country, but at the same time, we make too many cheap and convenient things for the world. There are many things that we think are necessary temporarily, but in the long run, they are actually unnecessary. Glass bottles are a prime example of this, and I wanted to include in the package the idea and message that it is not over when the contents are gone, but that we can get it again and renew it. The label is an important aspect and space that shows the visuals like a museum. The fun and joy of knowing which producers and flavors from which countries you will encounter tomorrow cannot be realized or obtained by throwing things away. The design began with the desire to appeal to Japanese people once again about the Japanese spirit of valuing things, and to have people around the world know about it.
The answer is simple. While adhering to the rules of the visual identity established in the early stages, currently, our in-house designers who understand brand design, other than me, develop designs for each producing region. The more types of coffee beans there are, the more difficult it is to develop label designs, but neglecting design development will cause the brand to lose value. It requires a lot of physical strength and perseverance, but AI cannot handle it, so we just have to keep creating it by hand.
When negotiating with distributors and gathering information on production areas, we collect various information such as the local farms and producers. It can be difficult to visit all production areas every time. We make every effort to select landscapes that show the characteristics of the farms and symbolize their charm. Not only the natural background, but also the expressions, family structure, clothing and behavior of the producers - everything is a story of nature and people, so the photos are filled with the entire story from the birth of the coffee beans to the moment they reach the consumer's mouth.
Accepting it as it is, I compose the color, texture, and overall atmosphere of the collage from various perspectives and information on the local area, such as the emotional and sentimental aspects of the place of origin, the taste, the country, and the climate. Sometimes I develop it to make rare beans look special, but basically I want people to drink it on a daily basis, so I stick to the range of what people can project from the appearance as it is into the design and communicate appropriately to people. In order to show the environment and reality of the place of origin, it is best to use a design that conveys it as it is, without embellishment or ambiguity.
It's not actually a strategy, it's an idea. It was an inevitable result when thinking about how to make everyone happy. In brand communication, it is important not to sell the target product, the maker, or the background itself, but to naturally connect them as they are and weave them into the story as a synergistic effect. Based on this idea, what is needed in both the physical and experiential aspects, and by carefully listening to the true feelings, concerns, and ideals of all stakeholders, the expression and outline of the brand will become clear. If ideas are added to this, you will have a perspective to design unique actions, and the brand's character and behavior will also be decided, so I think it will depend on how much you can realize what only that brand can do.
Japan's specialty coffee industry is currently in the process of exploring its future. It needs to be a viable business, but to survive in this industry, it will be essential to make the production areas visible on a global scale like TERRA COFFEE ROASTERS, to be considerate of the environment, and to communicate this in a careful manner. Products that are made by unknown people and where they are made will become increasingly difficult to see in the future, and it is reassuring to know who made the products you eat, especially. I think the important thing is not to give up on the fact that everyone, including producers, distributors, processors, and consumers, is connected to happiness, and I think this is our last chance to create a sustainable world. I would be happy if such ideas and thoughts could be spread through cases like TERRA COFFEE ROASTERS. Thank you.