Starbuck's new Rainforest Alliance Certified line of at home coffee
About the project:
Date: Fall 2020
The Team:
This project was created in eight weeks by myself and my two teammates, a fourth year graphic design student and a fellow third year industrial design student. My role on our team was to conduct materials and sustainability focused research, create industrial design ideations, build and test prototypes, and assists with graphic design ideation. The entire project was made virtually using zoom meetings and Miro, a collaborative virtual whiteboard.
The Advisers:
This project was sponsored by ChaseDesign and we were advised by Jon Cammarata and Leah Kotas.
The Design Goal:
Create packaging and merchandising concepts for a new line of Starbucks products that are sustainably-sourced and Rainforest Alliance Certified.
The Challenge:
The world is facing a crises on global scale cause by humanity. Large brands need to do their part to protect the people and the planet. Our goal is to create a sustainably-forward and educational sub-brand of coffee that’s good for people and the planet.
The Audience:
The target audience for this project includes current at home Starbuck brand users and environmentally-conscious young coffee drinkers seeking new ways to vote with their dollar for the protection of the planet and it's people.
Design Process
Initial sketching was done by the entire team and ranked on a mild to wild scale to help better understand our ideas. Moving forward we ranked sketches against criteria chosen from our research. I produced SolidWorks prototypes to better visualize ideas and physical prototypes to test the best ideas.
Mild side of sketches of ground and whole bean coffee packaging
Wild side for sketches of ground and whole bean coffee packaging
Sketches for K-pods and K-pod containers
Sketches for a point of purchase display
K-pod Lid Design
Whole Bean Coffee Lid Design
Ground Coffee Lid Design
K-pod Container Design
Whole Bean Coffee Container Design
Ground Coffee Container Design
Side view of a point of purchase display in SolidWorks
Isometric view of a point of purchase in SolidWorks
SolidWorks point of purchase with containers
Point of purchase assembly sketch
Full scale point of purchase prototype
Full scale point of purchase prototype with me for scale
Rough Prototype of Point of Purchase
Rough Prototype of Coffee Container
SolidWorks Model of Point of Purchase
Point of Purchase Graphics
Final Product
Our final design choice for packaging is a sleek cylindrical design made of compostable paper board and compostable ink to match our brand message. We chose all three variations to match in order to emphasize unity of the sub brand. The dark, warm, color choice emphasizes the rich flavor of the coffee and catches the consumer's eye.
The point of purchase display focuses on educating the consumer in an easy to understand way. The cylindrical design theme of the coffee containers continues to the point of purchase to further emphasize the design system. We also chose MDF that has a natural look and finish to match the message of the containers. The entire design fits within Starbuck's in store aesthetic.
Container and K-Pods
Back of Container
K-Pods
Point of Purchase
Point of Purchase Base
Cost and Materials Analysis
This project was later presented to Louis Fili and received very positive feedback
Project Skills
Designing within a set client's design language
Working with a graphic designer
Researching sustainable packaging options
Creating packaging in SolidWorks
Full size and scale model making
