For centuries, China has been famous for tea drinkers. Today, a new generation of Chinese consumers are embracing coffee culture. Origo was established to set a new standard of specialty coffee in China. Dedicated to the meticulous procedures required to craft unique coffee flavors, it aimed to become a luxury artisanal coffee brand giving both businesses and consumers the highest quality through every step of the supply-chain.
The situation
In China’s heavily crowded coffee market, there was an absence of a true, high-quality artisanal coffee brand to satisfy real coffee connoisseurs – and the teaching facilities to train new coffee makers. Origo saw the lack of a luxury coffee brand in China as an opportunity to create its own territory and build a new benchmark.
Challenge
It was imperative the brand identity reflect Origo’s artisanal craft with a visual language that shows pride in its Chinese roots and appeals to a discerning audience. To do so, we needed to share Origo’s unique approach of sourcing coffee beans, specialty roasting, creating artisanal blends and coffee training through a multi-layered visual expression that could capture the craft and attention to detail at every step of the process.
Our Strategy
Origo’s visual identity needed to match the characteristics of their coffee – nuanced, detailed and sophisticated. The design concept ‘Moved by Coffee’ was inspired by the circular motion observed in each step of the coffee process - from the shapes of the berries, to the circular grinding of the beans, down to the final swirl through the filter and into the cup.
What we did
Developed and designed a premium CI/CD system
Delivered a comprehensive brand strategy including competitor analysis, market positioning, brand slogan and Chinese name
Created signature illustrations inspired by coffee grounds to act as the primary visual for the brand
Implemented “Moved by coffee” concept into each of Origo’s touchpoints, including website, packaging, stationary, employee uniforms etc.
Our Solution
During the first four months following the soft launch, interest and pre-orders for Origo exceeded expectations and led to additional coffee roastings to meet demand. Origo will officially launch their sales platform in October 2019 and early feedback from clients and customers on the product offering, packaging and design is overwhelmingly positive.
“Quality coffee is all about attention to detail at every step of the process. We have applied that same process to our identity and packaging. The results speak for themselves – and so do our customers, who tell us they love it!”