Do you have this feeling that the modern coffee packaging is pretty boring and doesn't stand out from the competition? We have regular designs with coffee cups and beans on the packaging, but no personality and references to the place it was created.

This is the problem I wanted to solve. To take a Colombian coffee producer, and give this regional vibe. With national patterns and symbols, so the buyer can understand where the coffee is from. That's where I came up with the idea of Señor Tucán coffee.

I had to create a unique, colorful, but most importantly — eco-conscious, interesting packaging that would play with the national Colombian aesthetics. I had to create a design that would sell and stand out from the competition. I think I did it!

The solution I came up with is using regional patterns, a bright and detailed illustration of a regional symbol — such as the toucan bird. The design had to have a bright, but cozy color palette that would give the feeling of the tropical nature of coffee.

Before I dive into the design process, I had to understand the main struggle people have when it comes to choosing coffee based on the packaging. I started my research. So the target audience for this coffee is people aged from 25 to 40 y.o.

I started with online surveys on social media and face-to-face interviews. 17 participants (aged 24-39) passed an online survey, answering the main questions:

Here are the main takeaways from both online survey and interviews:

- Users prioritized clear communication on the packaging, highlighting origin, flavor profile, and brewing methods.

- There was a strong desire for visually appealing packaging that reflected quality and sustainability values.

- Convenience was an important factor, with many preferring resealable pouches for freshness.

- Users expressed a growing interest in ethically sourced and environmentally friendly coffee brands.

When I conducted my research, I created an ideal client persona, that would show me the main things I had to pay attention to.

So, I decided to go with a pretty colorful image, that would have a cozy, tropical feel to it. I knew I wanted to create a big illustration of a toucan, as well as use minimal, clean typography. However, the main font had to be serif to emphasize the unique and rare design. For the secondary text, I wanted to use a sans-serif, but playful font.

When it comes to color, I decided to use a combination of dark blue and orange, with a little accent. I didn't know which color to use for the accent, but I thought it might be green or bright blue, which would match my tropical topic.

In order to make the packaging eco-friendly, I decided to use craft paper. You can see the craft paper pouch of coffee on the mockups.

So I knew that I would like to use an illustration of a toucan. I started looking for the reference images, and found a good image of a happy toucan. I used it as a reference to create my own illustrations. Also, at this stage, I decided to add some plants in the background. It would place the main character into a desired environment.

I tried many sans-serif fonts, but the ideal font in my opinion was Aviatica. I used it for the main text with lowercase letters. For the secondary text, I used the Cordoba font. It gives this playful, imperfect feel.

For the main background color, I used dark blue (#343e44), and for the main text and accents - orange (#EFB56F). I also used this orange color for the background color of the sides of my packaging. The color palette is complementary, therefore the colors perfectly match each other.

At this stage, I finally decided which color was going to be my third color for accents. It was a light green color (#8AEA4B). But at this point, I didn't know where to use it, but I had a couple of ideas.

To make the image stand out even more, I decided to add some embellishments. Behind the toucan illustration, I placed tropical plants, added an environment, and filled the white space in the background.

To make it feel alive, I added fireflies and a little gradient that signified the light they cast. I even added a little green gradient to the toucan itself to integrate it into the background. By the way, I used that gree light color here.

I also added a subtle Aztec texture on the background to emphasize the region the coffee is from, as well as make the background more interesting.

I created this design based on the research I conducted previously. This allowed me to make an image that would stand out from the competition, communicate all the necessary info clearly, and most importantly — show the buyers where it is from.

The paper packaging will suit the needs of those who need an eco-conscious approach to coffee production and packaging design. This packaging would stand out from the boring designs the competitors usually do.

All of this will make sure that the design will increase sales and increase the brand recognition. It's unique and targets all pain points the buyers might have.

This project shoes my expertise in working with a wide target audience, and the ability to come up with good-looking and, and most-importantly audience-aimed solutions. I'm proud of this project, and hope you like it as well!

In case you want to work with me, contact me via Behance or by emailing me: