Many Poles start their day with a stimulating coffee. Although there are many items available on the market, only some are of the highest quality. These are speciality coffees, which we can taste thanks to the COFFEE PLANT brand. The company has launched a new image campaign and invited creative artists to work with it, including graphic designer Mateusz Machalski and Plant House founder Rafał Mgłosiek. The image change is accompanied by the introduction of new products to the offer. A novelty is coffee in ecological capsules, which can be drunk without generating troublesome waste.
Colourful revolution
COFFEE PLANT roastery has been in operation for more than five years. During this time it has gathered experience, listened to the opinions of customers, gourmets of the black beverage, to now show its best coffees in a new look. Mateusz Machalski, graphic designer and lecturer at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, is responsible for the new look of the packaging.
Developing a coherent visual concept is by no means a simple process. The label must be attractive, legible and allow the product to be quickly recognised, without a thorough analysis of the entire content. An additional difficulty was the need to unify the many types of coffee, of which COFFEE PLANT has dozens in its offer.
Mateusz Machalski proposed a modern and timeless design that does not divide coffees into flavours, but into ways of preparation. As a result, he distinguished three shapes and colours, which symbolise: pour-over ( orange-red), espresso ( yellow) and capsules ( pink). This is a considerable convenience for people who used to prepare this beverage in a specific way. Do you love pour-over coffee? You are looking for the right one among those marked in orange and red. Love the power of espresso? Choose from packs with a yellow gradient. Do you appreciate the simplicity of capsules? You’re in the pink team!
Mateusz Machalski
The process of rebranding COFFEE PLANT coffee packaging took several months. During numerous meetings, the company’s expert teams analysed various concepts. Mateusz Machalski frankly admitted that the first ideas ended up in the bin. However, it was worth the wait. He told us about the task.
What is graphic design to you?
For me, design is one method of expression that allows me to realise myself on many levels. Of course, this field is mostly dictated by briefs and strategies, nevertheless there is still a lot of room for my own approach and my own way of solving problems. On the other hand, this utilitarianism of design also applies to the transcription of literary language into visual language – this is by far the part that fascinates me the most, as it very often leads into completely new areas. At the same time, fortunately, graphic design is a very capacious discipline, because we can do both commercial projects, research activities or exhibition curatorial projects. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, graphic design is also a community of people for whom certain values, or ways of looking at the world through its prism, converge. The fact that, while practising this discipline, we have constant contact with doyens and people just entering the professional life is the most valuable thing.
You are responsible for the design of the new COFFEE PLANT coffee packaging. What was the objective set for you?
The design of visual communication for companies in the coffee sector is definitely a dream for anyone working in this industry. This, of course, is related to the very capacious category of coffee, which is very capacious in various aesthetic codes. These are definitely the kind of projects where you can go wild. Having already had some experience in this segment, I was a little apprehensive as to whether it would be possible to create something so well received by an audience again.
From the very beginning of my work with the COFFEE PLANT team, I knew that this would be a case from the other pole. The main idea was to create a visual world that was ‘simple & joyfull’. I’m not going to lie, the creative process was very hard at the beginning and after preparing the first four creative lines we had to start the whole thing from scratch in order to better understand how to achieve something that is minimalistic yet warm, friendly and joyful. It was also very important to find a way to stand out – this is particularly difficult in the coffee category because we are boxing ourselves on the shelf with all sorts of aesthetics, which are many times created by the cream of design…. definitely in hindsight I am very happy with the result and what we were able to work out together.
A concept with a coherent aesthetic has emerged. Why the gradient treatment and the division into three colours?
When looking for brand differentiators, we started by considering at what level we could divide the COFFE PLANT portfolio, separate the subcategories and then the flavours. Most companies use colour codes tied to flavours – we decided to combine flavour with specific geometric figures, which we can infinitely generate from a few basic shapes. In this way, we draw attention to the shelf by creating this gradient-geometric world in which the distinction is the three colour patches corresponding to the three main categories – espresso, overflow and capsules. To ensure that our labels are not just abstract shapes, in espresso the labels have a horizontal axis of symmetry according to the direction of the flask in the espresso machine, in overflow this code is the characteristic vessels that are symmetrical in the vertical axis – and in capsules a motif made of circles. The gradient motif was to enliven the grey aplomb on the subprint. We were looking for an element that, when we put the portfolio on the shelf, would start to create a very distinctive tonal transition between the top and bottom of the packaging, with a strong graphic form in the middle.
The packaging conceals the tasty contents. Which of the flavours do you like best?
Ha ha ha, that’s a very difficult question. I’m a coffee seeker type, so it’s very hard for me to choose exclusively one flavour. I definitely prefer to test, compare and discover. I’m very fond of bitter and sour-fruity varieties, and instead of pour-over I often choose to process it in my favourite pot brought back from Sarajevo, which makes the coffee resemble tar. Of course, I also use capsules and am looking forward to the new release of caps from COFFEE PLANT, which will finally ensure that when I choose this method, I don’t have a moral hangover due to generating a lot of waste.
Rafał Mgłosiek
A cup of any coffee starts with a planted bean. And Rafał Mgłosiek, creator of the Dom Roślin brand, knows best about beans, just germinating plants and their care. Rafał is a landscape architect by training and specialises in green compositions, which he creates in private and office interiors. He leads a busy lifestyle, moving between home, office and client meetings. For him, coffee in capsules or Drip Bags FLOW is the perfect solution, as it allows him to prepare a high-quality drink in a fast way.
What made you decide to take up plants professionally?
As a kid I used to create the world with Lego bricks, it gave me a lot of fun. Over time, I also grew fond of plants. I combined these two paths and became a landscape architect.
You have a lot of plants in your home. What does their presence give you?
There are many advantages that plants give us. Visually, they break up the space, bring the interior closer to the natural environment and bring it together. They have a positive effect on our senses; shades of green calm the eyes, softening the image we see. Plants improve air quality, they are a natural humidifier and air conditioner.
What other ways do you have of creating a good atmosphere on a daily basis?
A good book or scrapbook with coffee with music in the background. Most of the time I drink coffee from a coffee machine or a capsule machine. I like the mild taste of coffee with coconut or almond milk.
Do you appreciate high-quality coffee but get lost in the methods of preparing it?
For those who like to overflow, we have created a little guide where you will find a description of the different ways (read HERE). If you want to prepare your coffee quickly and enjoy its taste in no time, we suggest reaching for capsules in eco-friendly packaging or Drip Bagi FLOW. Simply insert the capsules into the coffee machine, press the button and… voilà! Even simpler are the Drip Bags. These are special paper sachets with a portion of coffee inside. Simply place the sachet over the top of the cup and slowly pour in the hot water. Drip bags can be used on the move or during a walk outdoors. All you need to prepare your coffee is hot water from a thermos.
Coffee from COFFEE PLANT and coffee preparation accessories can be ordered from their online shop or specialty coffee places.
source: COFFEE PLANT, editorial staff
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