We know that appearance matters. The creators of the Coffee Plant brand and designers Zuza Badowska and Koka Skowronska, who are successful in creating design, also know this. An opportunity to talk about creative work together is the rebranding of Coffee Plant coffee packaging. It is minimalist packaging with a clear identity that makes it easy to choose your favourite coffee.
A game of colours
Coffee Plant is a speciality coffee roaster that has been operating since 2019. After five years, it has decided to change its image and has done so with a bang! It invited graphic designer Mateusz Machalski to design the new packaging. He is an experienced graphic designer with dozens of successful concepts already created for companies. Mateusz designs labels and entire packages, which we can often (unknowingly) see on shop shelves. The latest project in his portfolio is Coffee Plant coffee packaging.
In the new packaging design, the brand focuses on minimalism. There are many coffees in the roaster’s range and it was quite a challenge to find a way to bring these different graphic motifs closer together. The division into three colours that symbolise the type of preparation: orange (pour-over), yellow (espresso) and pink (capsules) turned out to be a good idea. Completing the colour range is a light grey that occupies most of the packaging, leaving a colour gradient below.
Good morning, it’s an overflow!
To celebrate the rebranding (over a cup or mug of coffee, of course!), the Coffee Plant brand has invited creative artists. Among them are Zuza Badowska and Koka Skowronska, whose favourite way to brew coffee is overflow.
Zuza Badowska is a design designer and founder of not.bad studio, where she creates colourful glasses, dishes and lamps. The colourful objects are created in collaboration with Polish glassworks. Zuza is a design graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, and we have written about her designs on whiteMAD.pl many times. We had the opportunity to ask her a few questions.
Zuzo, what drives you to work creatively?
In the initial phases of a project, what drives me to work creatively is… a free head and no limits. After time it becomes important to set boundaries and limit my creativity. When designing, anything can inspire me to move forward. I think I am most often inspired by colour. I pay a lot of attention to it in everyday life. It is the colour of an object that attracts me to its form. Often, later on, a particular form can become an inspiration for further creative activities.
Tell us, what does your day at work look like?
My working day always starts with cleaning the kitchen and selecting the mug in which I will celebrate my first coffee. Depending on what I have to do, I either work from home or drive to the studio. In the profession of a design designer, every day looks a little different. It depends on how advanced the project is. I talk to clients, sketch, make a presentation, 3d model and sometimes prototype different solutions. There is no boredom, but coffee breaks or a walk with the dog are a regular part of the day.
If coffee is the overflow. What do you like about this method?
I rediscovered overflow thanks to my collaboration with Coffee Plant. I associate overflow with a homely atmosphere and mornings in the movies. You get up in the morning, step into the shower and your coffee is made by itself and waiting for you.
And the taste? What kind of coffee does Zuza Badowska drink?
The type of coffee I choose often depends on the season. In summer, I prefer cold-brew coffee, such as the FLOW Cold Brew series. In spring and autumn, I like the FLOW Juicy Fruit transfer best, preferably from an orange Moccamaster (laughs!). In winter, on the other hand, I often reach for the classic coffee machine. During trips or when I’m alone at home, I opt for the FLOW Drip Bagi. I most like to draw a flavour with my eyes closed and see what the day will bring.
The Drip Bagi FLOW mentioned by Zuza is an option for those who want to enjoy quality coffee on the go or in the great outdoors. The special paper sachets are designed to be embedded in the top of the cup. The sachet contains a portion of ground coffee, which can be poured over hot water from a thermos.
Balance of flavours
Koka Skowronska is the founder of Totem Studio Warsaw. The artist creates Totems to which she gives specific intentions. For years, she has been promoting ‘toteming’, i.e. stacking objects at hand and creating vertical compositions out of them. Her colourful Totems are constantly changing.
Where do you get the ideas for their designs?
I have two ways of ‘extracting’ ideas. Both, in a way, happen intuitively and I cannot fully control them. The first is ‘vision’. Sometimes I literally have a ‘vision’ and some colour combination is drawn under my eyelid. It’s hard to describe, but it happens to me that between blinks of my eyes a finished image appears. Like a photograph that is exposed under the eyelid. Ideas for colour combinations, photos or toteming compositions appear there. The second way is through observation. I walk a lot. And when I walk, I stare at matter. Observing the world, I admire the texture of paving slabs every day, the ‘handwriting’ of graffiti artists, the stacked compositions in rubbish bins. I am influenced by shop windows, the colours of buildings, the colourful grids of old ladies I pass. Then the subconscious processes everything. Then ‘artistic intuition’ kicks in, I go to the studio, suddenly it’s midnight and…. done! I think that sometimes the new, expressive colour editions of Totems are a rebellion against what I see on the Polish streets. I love strong colour and the Polish street prefers pastels.
And the break at work? How do you use it?
If I only have a moment I drink coffee at home or in the totem studio, I also do journaling. I try to write at least a few sentences a day by hand. This is very good for my creativity. If I have a moment instead of a moment I go to a coffee shop. Sometimes with a book, sometimes with a notebook, sometimes with a boyfriend or girlfriends (the options are not mutually exclusive). I love to sit by the window, preferably a big one and overlooking the street. Then I listen to jazz or bossa nova and watch what’s going on outside the window. It’s worth it. Once upon a time Devendra Banhart walked by.
When looking for the perfect coffee for yourself, what flavours do you look for?
In coffee, as in life, I don’t like extreme ideas. I like balance and equilibrium. Just like in toteming, balance is key.
Chemex? Aeropress? Or perhaps something else? How do you like to prepare it?
At home, I definitely choose a drip. I once got a Gooseneck kettle from my team partner from my old job, with whom we shared a great fondness for specialty coffees (I salute you, Bartek!), and I absolutely love using it. The sound of the coffee brewing in the V60, pouring slowly…. it’s as pleasant as a kitten purring! In the studio, on the other hand, we brew in the Moccamaster. Here, the control of the process is tenuous, the sound is no longer so appealing, but the smell of coffee throughout the kitchen catches the heart. Lately, my love affair with espresso has begun in coffee shops. I would love to have a decent (and nice, you know) espresso machine at home and dive into this coffee area, which at the moment remains a mystery to me. And I like puzzles a lot.
Do you like overflow? If so, prepared in which way? Below we publish a short overview describing the different methods of making pour-over coffee and encourage you to have fun at home, in the office or at grandma’s name day…. Any occasion for a cup of coffee is a good one!
Transfer coffee, brewing methods
This is one of the most popular methods that is easy to prepare. Overflow involves passing hot water over ground coffee, allowing the aromas and flavours to be extracted. Overflow coffee can be prepared in an espresso machine, a chemex, using a dripper or a french-press. Each of these methods is similar, but produces a slightly different flavour. Overflow allows you to play around, testing different varieties, blends and proportions.
Overflow espresso machine. Water is heated and fed into a container with a filter and ground coffee. The brewing process usually takes 4-5 minutes and the finished coffee accumulates in the pot. This is a good way to prepare larger batches of coffee.
Chemex. This is a method popular in niche coffee shops that you can easily use at home. A Chemex is a glass jug with a distinctive taper and a wooden handle. Place a filter in its top, add the coffee and pour hot water over it. The brewing time is a few minutes.
Dripper. This is a manual brewing method, giving you more control over the extraction process. Simply place the dripper on top of the mug, then place the filter in it, pour in the ground coffee and slowly pour in the hot water, taking care to pour evenly.
The AeroPress requires you to have a special device that allows you to brew coffee quickly. The ground beans are poured into a container, poured over hot water and pressed through a plunger. The AeroPress allows you to make coffee in just one minute.
French-press is a simple method of brewing coffee that does not require filters. Simply pour a few teaspoons of ground coffee (medium or coarse ground) into the brewer and then pour in hot water at a temperature of around 90 degrees. Stir the drink gently, making sure all the beans are well soaked. Then cover the French-press with a lid, but without pressing the piston. Only after a few minutes, push the plunger down to separate the grounds from the brew.
Coffee from Coffee Plant and accessories for making coffee can be ordered from the official website https://coffeeplant.pl.
source: Coffee Plant, compiled by the editors
Read also: Packaging | Visual identity | Featured | Polish designers | whiteMAD on Instagram
