This branding project involved creating a beverage and a brand identity to go with it. I decided to brand a beverage aimed at young adults (21-25). To capture the interest of this age range I went with hard iced tea as an unconventional drink and approached the packaging from a more green perspective. I included hand-made elements to make the overall drink more inviting.

The overall concept of this drink is based off something you’d find at a more down to earth market like Trader Joe's. Everything down to the packaging was designed with sustainability in mind. I decided to do this to appeal to the more environmentally conscious consumer and to paint the brand itself in a good light. The type that I felt matched the concept of down-to-earth friendliness perfectly was Rockwell Extra Bold. This slab serif has a rustic feel and is bold enough to catch your eye. For the secondary type I chose the non-intrusive Domus serif font for contrast. I ended up tracing the type and added a distressed ink texture once I got the type lockup done because I wanted to create a hand-made artisan feeling. This ended up working really well in the end. The logo mark itself is a diagonal cube to signify ice. This relates to the ICED title and creates a simple, but recognizable image that easily attaches itself to the brand.

I made unique illustrations for each carton and treated them the same way I treated my type to further my visual language. I made the color pallet a monotone informed by the flavor of each hard tea. I felt that doing this would make each flavor distinct and easily recognizable, but also keep the branding language consistent across all three flavors. I also chose to keep the monotones bright so as to contrast the distressed ink as well as to help it stand out. The paper I chose to use was a sturdy cardstock to help hold the carton’s shape. All of these elements come together to form a rustic, but colorful looking beverage that you could find in any local market.