Task 2: Taylor's Coffee Cup Design

24/09/2024 - 11/09/2025
Week 01 - Week 6
Adrianna Sofea Mohd Fauzi (0350661)
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Packaging and Merchandising Design: Project 1

1. Lectures

2. Progress
3. Final Outcome

4. Feedback

5. Reflection

Lectures:

Packaging and Merchandising Design

Packaging is a fundamental component of marketing and distribution across industries, with different box types tailored to specific needs. Among the most common are

Folding Cartons
Rigid Boxes
Corrugated Boxes

Folding cartons, like cereal boxes, are made from paperboard and are easily stored flat, making them practical and lightweight.

Rigid boxes, used for luxury products, offer sturdy, non-collapsible support, while corrugated boxes are highly durable and ideal for shipping due to their layered, fluted structure.

Each box type has distinct styles to suit various products.

Tuck Top folding cartons come in styles like Reverse Tuck End (RTE), Straight Tuck End (STE), Tuck Top Snap-Lock Bottom (TTSLB), and Tuck Top Auto Bottom (TTAB). The RTE style is cost-effective and easy to assemble but is generally suited for lighter items.

In contrast, the STE style offers a more polished look with hidden edges, often used in cosmetics but still not ideal for heavy products. TTSLB is better suited for heavier items with a stable base for display, while TTAB provides a sturdy auto-lock bottom that combines strength with efficient assembly.

Closure types like Slit-Lock and Friction Fit can be added to tuck-top boxes to secure contents and prevent bowing. These various options in box type, style, and closure underscore the importance of selecting packaging that aligns with the product’s requirements and brand image, enhancing both functionality and consumer appeal.

8 Rules of Packaging Design to Know Before You Start Designing

Effective packaging design goes beyond aesthetics to influence the customer experience and purchasing decisions, with 72% of consumers affected by packaging choices. To stand out, designers must understand and cater to their target audience, considering factors like font size for older adults or premium materials for luxury consumers. Functional design is equally essential, aligning the packaging with the product’s purpose, like a butter pack with a built-in knife for convenience.

Simplicity is powerful; minimalist designs that clearly convey essential information are appealing and cut through clutter. The design should also reflect the brand identity, as seen with Apple’s iconic packaging style. An iterative design process is crucial, using mock-ups and gathering feedback to refine ideas. Additionally, studying competitors provides insights into common shelf layouts and successful design traits.

Consistency across product lines enhances brand recognition, while ensuring high-quality printing ensures that design efforts translate into a polished product. These guidelines revolve around understanding the customer, the product, and the brand, ultimately creating compelling and market-ready packaging.

Briefing of Coffee Cup Design

The brief: In collaboration with the School of Culinary Arts, students must design packaging for a coffee cup and merchandise item of their choice. Each student must create a unique brand and convey its identity through both the packaging and the merchandise design.

The goal is to propose and produce a packaging design that effectively communicates its message and is marketable both locally and internationally.

For this project, we were tasked to work in pairs, choosing a partner to create the coffee cup design for Taylor’s Open Day. Traditionally, the culinary school has managed the coffee service for parents and potential students during this event, and our objective is to design a coffee cup that represents both the culinary and design schools.

Figure 1.1 Sample of the previous design

Figure 1.2 Measurement of cup

Exploration Process

Figure 1.3 Mind map of information

Notes:

After reviewing the client’s requirements, I created a mind map to explore key ideas and develop a concept tailored to their needs.

Figure 1.4 Combined ideas with jeremy

Notes:

Our process began by sketching preliminary ideas and exploring existing coffee cup designs to find concepts that align with our client’s vision. They requested either a contrast or full-black color scheme and gave us the option of creating a stand-alone or series concept. Both the faculty and Taylor’s University logos needed to be included, and the packaging had to be appealing and marketable.

Figure 1.5 Drawing and shading cocoa beans

Figure 1.6 Sketches of beans and roaster

Figure 1.7 Sketches of roaster and letter T

Notes:

I started by sketching coffee beans, considering the journey from bean to brewed coffee. This sparked ideas around what coffee symbolizes. Experimenting with character design, I turned the coffee bean into a playful figure by adding legs, eyes, and a mouth, aiming for a fun and engaging concept.

Figure 1.5 Typography

Notes:

Jeremy and I brainstormed the theme and created a mood board that showcased our vision: a blend of vibrant colors with an urban, rustic, yet modern feel. We explored sans-serif and script typeface combinations, along with gradient-based pattern designs that could bring a playful use of color to the design.

Figure 1.6 Color scheme

Figure 1.7 Patterns and textures

Figure 1.8 Moodboard

Notes:
Jeremy proposed creating color variations for each school, allowing prospective students and parents to use cups themed for their chosen program. However, we concluded that this approach might be cost-prohibitive and overly complex. After consulting with our instructor, we decided to simplify and align with the client’s preference for a straightforward design.

Ideation Process

After presenting my sketches to my lecturer, she suggested I explore other directions. This led me to experiment with typography, using design principles to communicate information through text. I researched typeface combinations, eventually focusing on options that would complement the coffee cup.

Figure 2.1 Attempt 1

Figure 2.2 Attempt 2

Figure 2.3 Attempt 3

Figure 2.4 Attempt 4

Figure 2.5 Attempt 5

Figure 2.6 Attempt 6

Figure 2.7 Attempt 7 and 8

Notes:
This week, we presented our structured ideas to our lecturer, although I was still refining my core concept. Of all my ideas, I was most drawn to a bulky “T” symbol containing a coffee bean. After sharing this with Jeremy, he suggested making the bean more organic and wavy to resemble real coffee beans.

Refinement of Design

Figure 3.1 Other variation idea and refinement of symbol

Figure 3.2 Placement of each information

Notes:
We had a discussion to explore ways to better showcase the faculties at Taylor's. Our lecturer suggested that we look into the schools to see what elements they represent. After conducting our research, Jeremy came up with several symbol designs.