Branding a Luxury Organic Tea Business
Bi Nka Bi Teas is a luxury organic tea brand that is cultural, contemporary, and classy. The business seeks to bring reliable, organic, sustainable, and ethically sourced loose-leaf teas sourced in Africa and steeped in African culture to the market.
The ask for this project was a sophisticated brand identity design that conveyed the heritage and quality of the teas. We aimed to mimic the tea’s distinct, subtle, refreshing flavour in the visual design. Illustrating this ephemeral feeling took much experimentation. Peruse the final design below.
“I would want my brand to be seen as classic. Boundless. This, to me, evokes staying- power. Although I am new and current, I want my product to appeal to something cultured or polished. I see my customer as someone who is educated, well-read and sophisticated.
I see my efforts (blog posts, social media, etc.), leaving them well-informed and knowledgeable. Then we move on to the taste and aftertaste, the feeling it leaves you with! My customer’s experience should be a pleasant time of reflection, leaving them calm, peaceful and less stressed. Carried away from the day-to-day and supplanted to a spiritual and thoughtful respite way on the other side of their minds. But this should feel familiar, like returning home, returning to that safe place long forgotten because of work and life demands.
My teas are helpful, romantic, harmonious, balancing and delightful. The teas are exquisite. And at the end of the day, when you call your friends to share about the place where you now sit, you will release that breathy exhale of relief, you think: what a wonderful experience.”
Regina, founder of Bi Nka Bi Teas
The passage above was quoted from one of our client’s beautiful responses to a question we asked her during the brand strategy phase. This article inspired the bolded adjectives that our clients use as a tool to describe their brand eloquently. The brand strategy discussion aims to get to the heart of the business, and then build a strategy around that purpose. By starting with this foundation, the designs to follow are soulful and effective in attracting the ideal clientele.
Bi Nka Bi’s mission is to make Africa accessible through the ritual and ceremony of tea. The brand strives to introduce the variety of teas from Africa to as many people as possible. The name is after an Adinkra (a Ghanian symbol) that means “nobody should bite another.” It is a symbol of freedom, forgiveness, unity, and harmony. We created a modernized version of the classic Bi Nka Bi symbol for the brand’s use.
The calm colour palette utilized refreshing earth tones.
The brand identity uses a drip as a device to create shapes and forms. Design elements incorporating sensual curves become part of the visual identity system. The custom wordmark is detailed and unique but uses a minimalist sans serif font as a base.
Do you have a business in need of a stunning and unique brand identity? Learn more about our services here.