your new bes-tea
Vaa Matcha
to create an identity and brand for a fictional tea company (that I used to dream of opening when I was a confused, struggling student completing her undergraduate degree in I.T).
The challenge
Prof. Holly Quarzo
SCAD Atlanta
Mentor
Spring 2024 2023
Completed
branding/ / logo design / packaging
Skills Used
Did you have one of those 'I-hate-what-I'm-doing-I'm-gonna-run-away-and-start-a-bakery' stories?
This one's mine.
If I'm being honest, Vaa Matcha existed only as a figment of my imagination for the longest time; my best friend and I would often joke, in low moments, that we ought to drop of college and start a tea cafe, since we were both enthusias-tea-c about the drink.
This little tea store of our imaginations was the perfect place to kick back and forget all your responsibili-teas. We wanted to offer teas for just about anything. We wanted to capture how the tea made us feel: warm and refreshed but still filled with a latent, buzzing energy. With this brand, I hope I've achieved that.
Let me explain.
Vaa, Macha.
Here's the tea.
'Vaa macha' is a simple phrase in Tamil (my native language!) that means 'Come here, bro.' It's a friendly phrase, one that's commonly used, but most importantly, it allows for some clever tea-related wordplay. And I'd like to consider that one of my special-teas.
For Vaa Matcha's logo (see how I got the name?) I tried my best to capture details of Tamil letterforms, since that's where the name comes from. I cycled through several iterations before finally settling on a logo and mark that captured exactly what I was looking for.
Let's get this sh*t done.
Let's talk about it.
Let's go to sleep.
Vaa, Macha.
Do we NEED a reason to chug down a glass of warm tea when you're a struggling student?
Vaa matcha is tea that feels AND tastes natural. It's tea that's herbel and refreshing, but at the same time it feels like being given a hug. I wanted it to feel warm, almost like home.
If there's one thing I learned during my undergraduate degree, it was how to make a good cup of tea. My dorm room soon became well-known for smelling of sweet teas at any time of day. I’d make myself teas to sleep better, stay up late, and for me and my friends to share some biscuits (and gossip) over.
This thought process led me to my flavors (and an eventual secondary color scheme).
For my typography, I chose Meloso variable, a soft, friendly font which captures both the energy and calm that a cup of tea brings.
Teas so good they might just become your new bes-tea.
(You've got options. We'd prefer you choose them all)
Find a better combination. Seriously. Try
I did my research on flavors, and eventually decided on: Lemon&ginger (to keep you energized), chilli&cinnamon (for all those spicy gossip sessions) and levender&mint (because who doesn't love a nice cup of tea before bed?)
The main ingredients led me right to my secondary color palette, and also inspired some really wonderful tea names. We've got Vitali-tea, Tranquili-tea, and Chit-chat-tea. Fifty bucks - or a free cup of tea on me - if you guess which is which!
