OUGD603 Brief 04: Concepts & Feedback

Concepts:
Based on the research that I have done I have come up with a range of different concepts for the coffee brand.

1. The Aroma of Coffee

- Aroma compounds in brewed coffee - could make a pattern from the chemical symbols.

- The scent of coffee alone can wake up your brain - awaken theme.

- Smell is the most powerfully connected to emotion and memory - scents lodge itself into the long term. Every cup can connect to a story - abstract design.

2. The Way Coffee is Harvested

- Selectively picked: Only the ripe cherries are harvested, and they are picked individually by hand. Pickers rotate among the trees every 8 to 10 days, choosing only the cherries which are at the peak of ripeness - Primarily to harvest the finer Arabica beans.

3. Tasting the Coffee

- Coffee is repeatedly tasted for quality and taste. This process is referred to as cupping and usually takes place in a room specifically designed to facilitate the process - the taster usually called the cupper.

4. The History of Coffee

- An Ethiopian Legend - the goat herder Kaldi discovered coffee after he noticed that after eating the berries from a certain tree, his goats became so energetic.

- Coffee houses - became centre of social activity and communication in major cities. In England 'Penny Universities' - by mid 17th century there were over 300 coffee houses in London, many of which attracted like-minded partons, including merchants, shippers, brokers and artists.

Feedback:
Sharing my ideas with my peers they felt that the strongest concept was the Ethiopian Legend about the goat herder Kaldi. They felt that this was unusual and different from what is already within the coffee market. It was suggested to look at the style of 'Kracken Rum', which has on old vintage looking style, with an illustration of an octopus on. They said that I could potentially do something similar with the goat as this had a luxury style. My only concerns with this idea was that would consumers want to keep a tin with a goat on. My peers however said that if the design is done well then people would want to keep them.

They also liked the idea of the aroma compounds, creating a pattern, which would lend itself to a more minimal style which is very popular right now. Another idea that was bought to my attention is possibly creating an illustration / pattern from a topology map of wherever the coffee originates.

Taking on board this feedback I think that I am going to work further with the Ethiopian Legend of Kaldi as it could produce interesting results which would make it stand out within the coffee market.