Edward Tufte

Unfortunately, today I didn't work on this project as much as I would've liked to. I went to an Edward Tufte seminar in New Haven instead, which was incredibly inspiring and enlightening. Made me think of information and interfaces in ways I had never imagined. At one point I did think of my packaging and how I want the message to be really clear, as soon as someone sees it from far away. It also made me realize that my last project sucked really bad as far as information organization goes. You live, you learn, right?

Logo Iterations

This is how far I got with the logo today, in chronological order. The pattern in the end is an idea for a secondary identity. Kind of leaning towards the last iteration, though it still feels a little off. Hopefully something good will come out of it!

Sketches

DAY 3 / Showing part of my process. Note how the first page of sketches is low in contrast and quality. Second page is mostly notes on South American herbs and drawings of Inca patterns. Today I came pretty close to finalizing my logo, but it's not quite there yet.

New Perspective

DAY 2 / So I was really stuck with this idea of Awaken as a brand because I find it somewhat cheesey, way too esoteric and new agey. BUT as I researched yerba mate (South American infusion) I stumbled upon this quote, based on Quechua (Inca) beliefs:

"To awaken from the illusion of being alive is to experience life itself."

Now, keep in mind this is not new age rethoric. The Incas knew what was up. And they believed in this... Therefore, I've found new inspiration for my project! The logo will be based on Inca tapestry patterns, which happen to symbolize order and nature, which are two things tea drinkers seem to be interested in. Yes. Finally, this project is close to my heart. I've been wanting to do something with Inca ideology for a long time, as I believe it to be one of the proudest, clearest moments in Latin American history. I do wish I could change the name of the company to something in Quechua, or at least the Quechua word for "awaken" or "awakening". 

Bamboo Paper!

This is a to-go container made from bamboo paper, completely biodegradable. Neat.

Preliminary Market Research

DAY 1 / It seems like every idea I've had for this project isn't original enough. Research shows monotony, which is great in a sense, because innovation shouldn't be too hard to tackle. I do wish our market audience wasn't predetermined, as my main interest concerning sustainable design practices is to make it more relatable, beyond the hippie-crowd. Still, I'm excited.

The photo above is a highlight from my preliminary research.