Excelencia Imifuka y'Ikawa by Tipz is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2026 Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma in Igishushanyo cy'Ipaki Competition Category.

IcyumaIpaki· 2026

Excelencia Imifuka y'Ikawa

by Tipz

Client: Guardiao

Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma Winner in Ipaki Category

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Colors

The Design

About Excelencia Imifuka y'Ikawa

Imifuka y'ikawa ya Guardiao Excelencia ikoresha ururimi rw'amashusho rukomoka ku bishushanyo bya malayika mukuru urinda. Ibishushanyo bihandirwa mu bujyo bugufi ku ruhande rwo hanze bigaragaza ikimenyetso cy'amababa arinda mu buryo bufatika, bihamagarira ukuboko gukoraho mbere y'uko igikoresho gifungurwa. Igikatwa cyakozwe neza gifite ishusho y'amababa gishushanya urwego rufungurwa, gihindura igikorwa cyo kugera ku bumbatiro kuba umuhango ushingiye ku bushake. Ikimenyetso cya zahabu gishyizweho n'ubushyuhe imbere gishimangira ko umuhinzi ku giti cye amenyekana. Kubunda kw'ibikoresho bidasa n'ikirahure mu buryo buhoro ku maso yose bishimangira ubwiza bw'ibikoresho kandi bitanga itandukaniro n'ibishushanyo bihandiritse bishinze imizi.

The Recognition

About the Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma

Excelencia Imifuka y'Ikawa ni uwegukanye Igihembo cya A' Design Award cy'icyuma, ishimwe ry'agaciro ritangwa ku bishushanyo byiza bihuza ibyo umwuga n'inganda bikeneye ku bihangano byashushanyijwe neza. Abegukanye icyuma bagaragaza ubuhanga bukomeye, ubumenyi bwihariye, imyumvire y'inzobere n'ubushobozi bwo guhanga bw'ababikoze. Excelencia Imifuka y'Ikawa biteganyijwe ko izaba igihangano cyubahwa, gishimwa kandi gikundwa, gifatika kandi gifite udushya. Iki gishushanyo cyegukanye icyuma gihuza uburyo bwiza bukoreshwa mu nganda kandi gifite ibiranga bya tekiniki bifite ubushobozi, bifatanye n'ubumenyi n'impano. Excelencia Imifuka y'Ikawa yubahwa kubera gukora neza, kandi yashushanyijwe kugira ngo inoze ubuzima, ifashe gutuma isi iba nziza.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Guardiao Excelencia packaging creates a multi-sensory identity for premium Conilon. Low-relief embossing turns the guardian wings into a 3D texture on the surface, adding sophistication without extra ink. A wing-shaped die-cut forms the opening, while a gold hot-stamp seal honors each producer. Soft-touch matte lamination boosts contrast. After the Jan 2025 launch, Natural sales rose 50% and Fermented 30%.
Dimensions & Packaging: Package dimensions: 110 mm x 220 mm. Structured cardboard substrate. Exterior finish: soft-touch matte lamination. Surface treatment: low-relief embossing on wing motif panel. Opening mechanism: precision wing-shaped die-cut flap. Front accent: gold hot-stamp producer seal. Contents: roasted and ground conilon coffee. Two product variants presented in the same structural format: Natural and Fermented.
Tags: Coffee Packaging, Conilon Coffee, Specialty Coffee, Embossed Packaging, Brazilian Coffee, Archangel, Cooperative, Premium Packaging, Sensory Design, Producer Recognition
Production Technology: The packaging is produced in structured cardboard with soft-touch matte lamination applied to all exterior surfaces. The guardian wing motif is rendered through low-relief embossing without additional ink or foil, allowing the texture to communicate through light and touch alone. The opening panel follows a precision wing-shaped die-cut, which is a structural feature derived directly from the brand iconography. A hot-stamped gold foil seal is applied to the front face to mark individual producer recognition. All production processes are compatible with mid-run commercial printing.
Design Challenge: The primary challenge was overcoming established market perception of conilon coffee as an inferior variety. Designing credible premium packaging for a product with a historically stigmatized reputation required a strategy that was both visually grounded and commercially viable. The identity needed to stand apart from arabica-focused premium brands on shared retail shelving while remaining true to the cooperative's agricultural heritage. A secondary constraint was translating symbolic complexity, the archangel iconography and wing geometry, into production-feasible structural and print techniques at a mid-run scale.
Research: Qualitative research was conducted to understand consumer perception of conilon coffee within the premium specialty segment. Research objectives focused on identifying barriers to premiumization for this Brazilian variety and defining visual strategies to address them. Methods included field interviews with cooperative members and retail shelf observation. The archangel symbolism emerged from cultural and geographic immersion in the Espirito Santo region. Post-launch commercial data served as a quantitative measure of outcome, with the Natural variant recording a 50 percent sales increase and the Fermented variant a 30 percent increase.
Inspiration: Inspired by Saint Gabriel the Archangel and the coffee lands of Saint Gabriel da Palha, Espirito Santo, Brazil, the name was chosen by a priest to declare that the region’s livelihood is blessed and protected. That belief becomes design: a pack that opens through wing-shaped flaps, a physical seal that unfolds to reveal the coffee and suggest protection from farm to cup. It elevates Conilon beyond commodity, celebrating traceable origin, craftsmanship, and local pride.
Project Duration: The project was developed in Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil. The designed packaging was launched commercially in March 2025.
Operation Flow: The package is opened by lifting two lateral wing-shaped flaps that replicate the archangel wing geometry of the visual identity. This opening gesture functions as a structured ritual: the wings unfold outward, framing the moment of first access to the product. Before the package is opened, the gold producer seal on the front face communicates origin and individual recognition. The embossed wing surface and the soft matte finish invite tactile engagement throughout handling. The overall interaction is designed to slow the act of opening and increase perceived value at the point of experience.
Team Members: Creative Director: Ricardo Montenegro
Creative Designer: Mateus Montenegro
Art Assistant: Gabriel Mendes
Copywriter: Ian Fassina
Image Credits: Image #1: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
Image #2: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
Image #3: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
Image #4: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025
Image #5: Photographer Gabriel Mendes, 2025