Shoichiro Takei and Eriko Kunikata Is Honored with the A' Design Award for Kagoshima Shinsen Cha Green Tea Beverage in Packaging Design

The Work

Project

Kagoshima Shinsen Cha Green Tea Beverage

Function

Green Tea Beverage

Category

Packaging Design

Discipline

Communication Design

Industry

Packaging & Retail, Branding & Advertising and Manufacturing

Colors

Dim Gray, Gold, Olive Drab, Gainsboro and Dark Goldenrod

Images

5

Client

JA KAGOSHIMA Federation of Economic Agricultural Cooperative Associations

The Recognition

Laureate

Shoichiro Takei and Eriko Kunikata

Country

Japan

Recognition

A' Design Award

Edition

2021 - 2022

Design ID

#133397

Credits

Team

Shoichiro Takei (Designer) and Eriko Kunikata (Producer)

Image Credits

Hiroki Ogusu (Photo)

Design Details

Unique Properties

The team name the product to express pride and history of leading the Japanese tea industry for many years, allowing for the meaning and sound of the name. For creating this bland logo, they blend some elements, that is the client's initial, an active volcano Sakurajima Mt. (the symbol of Kagoshima in Japan) and T-E-A into only one Kanji as a mark design and the hidden message. So that the beautiful green color of this tea beverage brings out, the team use white as a basis for labeling and place simple objects with two kinds of tea leaves. Moreover, to express Japanese atmosphere, Hiragana is incorporated into the product name, and traditional Japanese colors are used on the label.

Inspiration

The team chose a tea flavor with a comfortable and refreshing tone in trend as well as a delicious aftertaste. Most Japanese bottled teas use a dark green or a green gradation background. Meanwhile, this product is a comfortable and refreshing beverage and so they decide to use white as a base color and place a simple and casual object with two tea leaves. The logo and naming of the tea are placed in the center of the layout to give an impressive appearance at the store.

Research

In addition to the history of tea in Japan and development process of green tea industry including its tradition and production area, the team examined the demand for green tea in Japan and overseas, and its product development. Meanwhile, they team also researched the following factors, such as what agricultural producers in Kagoshima particularly focus on, past sales histories, expected target, what type of occasion to drink, competitor's tea flavor and its design and the like.

Challenge

The most difficult part of its design was how to express its impressive appearance in a limited space of the product. Also, from a branding point of view, the team thought it would be best to use the logo not only for this product but also as a banner for the client's tea brand. Therefore, this logo should be versatile, highly visible and have a strong impact, so that it could be used for future series of the product as well. As for its naming, they considered a number of factors, such as the visual element, the nuance of the word, and its registration issue.

Realization and Technology

It doesn’t matter how wonderful a product is or how much potential an initiative has; if a company cannot effectively promote its products or ideas, it won’t be able to thoroughly communicate its value to the world. The clients of the team consult them with various concerns, such as sales of their clients' existing products or developing a new business. The team approach is extremely simple and effective. They focus on the spirit of a company and its initiatives, and the essence of its products. They also consider the motives of the company’s management and its vision for the future, and incorporate all of these factors into designing a one-and-only brand.

Operation and Interaction

The team were involved from a much earlier stage of the product development and when deciding tea flavor as well. And the same concept was also applied to various promotional materials such as shipping boxes, banners, posters, and flyers.

Project Duration and Location

The project started in August 2020 in Kagoshima, Japan, and finished in April 2021 in Kagoshima. The team tried to express the uniqueness of Japan and Kagoshima to make a strong impact on its design. As a result, in a short period of time after its launch, it became a record seller, which expanded sales channels one after another. The design of this shipping box was so well received that the client decided to sell recyclable box of tea with the same design.

Specifications

W66×H206×D66 Kagoshima prefecture’s tea production is the second largest agricultural output in Japan. However, most of the tea leaves are supplied to companies outside Kagoshima to process. Therefore, Kagoshima is little known as one of the leading tea producing regions in Japan. That is why the team had to build a strong branding strategy in order to create a new product of high-quality bottled tea focusing on its ingredients and production method.

Keywords

#KATALSEVEN, #packagedesign, #brandingdesign, #logodesign,