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The world of tea packaging design is an engrossing and somewhat intoxicating one to keep track of.
Traditional Victorian-era designs from a bygone era, and solid colours and minimalist elements.
Whether old or new, tea brands, without a doubt, go to all extremes with their packaging design.
Several aspects make your product attractive, including the box you ship it in, the stand-up pouches you package your loose leaf tea in, and even the tea bags themselves.
Each part of the design must work together and build an overall voice for your brand.
According to Statista, the volume of tea consumed in Europe will rise to 767.9 mkg by 2025, creating growth of around 3.4% annually.
It's clear:
People love their tea.
But they also love trying out new flavours.
Source: Moya Matcha
Tea packaging might be an afterthought for some companies, but it can make yours stand out from any other product on market shelves.
You’re competing with thousands of different items on the store shelves. You have to stand out in your section and amidst a sea of packaging.
You can have the most amazing tea that anyone ever consumed, but if the colours and design of your packaging fall flat, your sales will suffer.
Even the classic tea brand Twinings knows the power of clever packaging design:
This article will discuss the various aspects of a smart tea packaging design and why it works as a marketing tool.
We will also look at some examples of smart packaging.
What Are the Rules of Tea Packaging Design?
Tea packaging keeps the item secure and adds value to the product. It grabs interest and tells a story.
Some of the basic rules of good packaging design include:
Proper logo placement
A clear definition of what the product is
Authenticity and truth
Differentiation from similar offers
Securing the tea from moving around too much in shipment
Showcasing the voice of the brand
Of course, there are other ways tea packaging helps sell your product, but these are basic elements of a good design.
You'll find some common packaging solutions amongst all tea brands.
Cardboard product boxes, metal tins and even stand up pouches.
The standard product box with some form of kraft paper inside is the go-to packaging solution for many brands that sell their tea in teabags.
Australian brand Yarra Valley Tea Co. is a fine example of tea packaging design on a simple paper stock box.
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A post shared by Yarra Valley Tea Co (@yarravalleyteaco)
When it comes to loose leaf tea, stand up pouches or doypacks are another common solution. A fine example of this is the Argentinian brand, Tenki Patagonia.
Stand up pouches are durable, cheap, and along with a mailer box, are great for subscription-based brands.
One tea packaging solution that's growing in popularity is the cardboard tube and paper can.
Another Polish brand, Dworzysk, use stunningly detailed designs on the side of their tube to create an image that invokes the same feelings that the tea helps drinkers feel.
In this case, it's getting a good night's sleep.
Paper & Tea also use cardboard tubes as the medium for their tea packaging.
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A post shared by P & T - Paper & Tea (@paperandtea)
But its metal tins that are, without a doubt, one of the most eye-catching forms of tea packaging.
Swedish tea brand Teministeriet sells their range of teas in black metal tins.
The solid black design allows the simple white text to draw in the eyes of the view to read the type of tea - in the case, the '150' tea.
Metal tins are strong and robust, making them one of the best examples of packaging sustainability in tea packaging design.
These tins are frequently reused elsewhere in a household and are entirely recyclable when they are disposed of.
See how to use Packhelp's online designer to create custom tea packaging
Let’s dig into how you accomplish these features and look at some examples of brands doing an excellent job with their tea packaging.
Do: Customise the Design
Know who your target audience is and what makes them tick.
Which pain points drive them to try a new tea brand?
Perhaps they want something different in their lives.
Maybe they care most about flavour.
The only way of figuring out your customers’ needs is by surveying them and digging deep into the psychographics of your buyer personas.
Once you understand the forces driving them to seek out a new tea, you’ll know how to package it to meet their needs.
Tea company Harney & Sons place some of their speciality tea sachets in tin cans.
The design gives a hint of times gone by and is the perfect choice for those feeling a bit nostalgic.
This Victorian-era feel implies that the brand has been around for a long time.
Consumer intuition says that if a brand has been around for a long time, it's trustworthy.
Therefore, this tea must be good, because it's been around for so long.
Don’t: Go Cheap
The cost of tea packaging can eat into your profit margins. After all, a tin can costs more to produce than a cardboard box.
However, if you want your item to compete against luxury goods, you must spend a bit more on your design and materials.
You don’t have to use tin but think through even the thickness of the cardboard or how the colours look on the packaging’s background.
Learn more about Packhelp's corrugated Mailer Boxes
Building trust amongst your consumers is vital.
A brand that's consistent in its branding is one that's trustworthy: it shows pride in one's name and product.
What makes your company stand out from other tea entrepreneurs? How can you showcase your unique value proposition on the box?
Do: Embrace a Cause
What do you care most about as a brand? How can you highlight this through your tea packaging?
For example, if you care about feeding hungry children, you might include a note stating each box purchased helps a specific cause.
Your tea packaging design should also echo what your company cares about: its values.
If your business is one that prioritises conservation and sustainability, this should be echoed in your tea's ingredients.
Juniper Ridge embraces nature both via the design and the tea packaging material.
The design shows plants and a lot of white space.
The designer layered three strips resembling parchment paper to contain text.
The box itself is Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) material. Even the ink is environmentally friendly.
The wording on the package shows their commitment to sustainability.
It points out the packing materials and shares that they cultivate the ingredients in the tea responsibly to not harm the environment.
Don’t: Forget Your Brand Identity.
Since 90% of people admit to remembering a company based on colours and images, your packaging should include your logo and colour palette.
If people already associate red with your tea, don’t deviate too much from that.
Your logo is also a big part of who you are as a brand.
Make sure it takes a prominent place on your packaging. Ideally, people associate your voice with your tea.
When they want a different flavour or type, they’ll look for your symbols and recognise you immediately.
Below is a fine example of using colour to differentiate flavours from Raven Coffee:
Learn the finer details about coffee packaging here
At the same time, think about the image you project in the words you use and the tone you take.
If you want to be seen as a young, hip business, tap into language familiar to the younger generation.
If you wish to reach senior citizens, utilise a classic style and tone.
Pukka Herbs do this with all their tea packaging. However, it's interesting to see how those values are recreated on their large setup boxes used as gift sets.
The same floral motifs associated with their logo and other packaging solutions are echoed on the larger boxes.
This is a fine example of consistent tea packaging branding over multiple mediums while using colour to differentiate flavours.
Do: Focus on the Basics
While you want your tea packaging to stand out, don’t be afraid to scale things back to a more minimalist style.
Let your product speak for itself. The quality of the box and the items inside can do a lot of your talking for you.
A minimalist look might not be suitable for all tea packaging, but if you already have a fairly established brand, it can focus on what’s inside.
There are still some things you’ll need to include, such as ingredients, your tagline, and logo.
However, you don’t need to add vivid colour or tons of graphics to get your point across.
Is the look right for you? Only you can decide the voice of your tea brand.
Smith Tea keeps its package design simple.
They use neutral black and white with a touch of gold. Note the high-quality cardboard with a glossy finish and hot stamping.
The number of elements on the container is minimal.
To match the style of their tea boxes, they also keep their site to only a couple of colours and add plenty of white space around images and text.
The overall impression is one of simplicity and quality.
TWG Tea is another example of minimalistic packaging design.
In this example, you can see how they use black and gold to imply excellence and quality.
Do: Tell a Story
People love a good brand story.
How did you get where you are today?
What motivated you to start your company?
You might think that’s a lot to convey on your packaging, but you can easily tell a story with clever copy.
Condense your primary victory into a single line of five or fewer words.
Learn more about Concrete Jungle and how they communicate their uniqueness.
Include it as a tagline on your product packaging.
You can even add QR codes and links that take the user to a more in-depth look at your company’s timeline.
Don’t: Overload Your Design.
We’ve already talked about utilising a minimalist design for your tea packaging.
There is a lot of information you’d like to convey to your users, but it’s important to focus only on the essential elements.
Otherwise, your design becomes overloaded with competing elements.
Too much noise and a busy look may turn customers away.
When given a choice between two designs, which one is best?
You’ll find it is almost always the one with less information or condensed wording.
Pictures say more than words, so think about whether you can convey the same message with a photo or illustration.
Study Your Competition
Creating the perfect tea packaging requires creativity, knowledge, and attention to detail.
Take time to study your competition and what their boxes look like. Is yours different enough to grab attention while still making it clear tea is inside?
Know your customer base well, as they may have different preferences than other tea brands.
Once you tap into your users’ preferences and develop the perfect design, you should run it past a control group or two.
Get feedback on any tweaks that might improve it further.
Take the time on the front end to develop the best product packaging possible.
The result will be excellent sales and brand recognition.
About the author:
Eleanor Hecks is editor-in-chief at Designerly. She was the director at a marketing agency before becoming a freelance web designer. Eleanor lives in Philly with her husband and dog, Bear.
Charles Cain - Feb 18th 2010
Navigating regulations is one of the more intimidating aspects of running a business. It should be relatively simple - and sometimes seems that way - but of course everything is written by lawyers or bureaucrats and the cost in time and money if you get anything wrong can be high. The Food and Drug Administration's labeling regulations are no exception. I've waded through these with two different companies now, and I can say with conviction that I hate the FDA's Code of Federal Regulations Title 21.
The purpose of this article is to provide a little guidance based on my research and experience. I am not a packaging attorney, so I must recommend for the record that you pass your plans for tea packaging by legal council before making a large investment. That said, I have talked with many attorneys and I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night so here goes:
The first question you need to answer is whether your packaging must be labeled for resale. There are three ways you can avoid the packaging regulations:
If, however, you package any food product ahead of time and have it sitting sealed on a counter, shelf or display for the customer to pick up and purchase, you need to understand and follow the regulations. So whether your teas are packaged and sealed professionally in a distribution facility or by a 17 year old sales associate, anything pre-packaged and displayed should be compliant with all federal regulations on food labeling.
These regulations are listed in detail online in the FDA's Code of Federal Regulations Title 21. But since I just spent the last few hours summarizing these for Adagio's design team, I figured I'd share my findings with you. There are 8 relevant sections that you should be aware of:
1. PRINCIPAL DISPLAY PANEL
Every package must have a "principal display panel" which is defined by 21 CFR § 101.1 as "… the part of the label that is most likely to be displayed, shown or examined under customary conditions of display for retail sale". This panel must be large enough to accommodate information that is required, such as the declaration of net quantity of contents (See, 21 CFR § 101.105) and the statement of identity (See, 21 CFR §§ 101.3). Packaged tea can have more than one principal display panel.
For the purpose of determining the appropriate font size of the required contents declaration, the "area of the principal display panel" must be ascertained. This is defined as the surface area of the side of the package that bears the required information. For rectangular containers, such as the boxes, tins or pouches used for tea, the area of the principal display panel is simply the height times the width of the side where the information will be displayed.
2. INFORMATION PANEL
The information panel is the part of the label of package that is immediately contiguous and to the right of the "principal display panel". 21 CFR § 101.2. Generally, this panel includes nutrition information (if necessary), an ingredient list, a statement of the name and address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor and country of origin markings, if the product is imported. Of course, some or all of the required information may be included on the principal display (front) panel. If any of the required information appears on the front panel, it does not need to be repeated on the information (right side) panel. Most of the information required is subject to a minimum type size requirement of one-sixteenth inch in height (ingredient list and name and address). Nutrition information (if required) is subject to different type size and presentation requirements.
3. IDENTITY STATEMENT
The principal display panel of a tea package is required to bear (as a primary feature) a statement of identity, generally consisting of the common or usual name of the tea. For our purposes, the particular blend or featured flavor of the tea would be sufficient, such as "ENGLISH BREAKFAST TEA", "CARAMEL BLACK TEA", "PEPPERMINT TEA", etc.
21 CFR § 101.3(2-3) requires the use of the "common or usual name of the food; or, in the absence thereof, an appropriately descriptive term, or when the nature of the food is obvious, a fanciful name commonly used by the public for such food.” I would interpret this to allow Identity Statements like "DARJEELING", "KEEMUN" or "DRAGONWELL" to be sufficient as stand-alone declarations. The purely arbitrary names like “BERRY BLAST”, or “WHITE CHRISTMAS” should be accompanied by a more descriptive Identity Statement like “FRUIT TEA”. In the case of flavored teas with single names, the tea type should be included in the name of the tea so as to guide the customer (in addition to the color scheme) and satisfy the packaging requirements for an accurate Identity Statement. For example, “ALMOND” should be named “ALMOND BLACK TEA”.
21 CFR § 101.3 requires that the identity statement appear on the front panel in bold type of a size "reasonably related to the most prominent type" used on the label and in lines generally parallel to the base of the package as it rests when displayed. In other words, it needs to be one of the biggest words on the panel and shouldn't be at a crazy angle.
21 CFR § 101.3(c) requires that, “Where a food is marketed in various optional forms (whole, slices, diced, etc.), the particular form shall be considered to be a necessary part of the statement of identity and shall be declared in letters of a type size bearing a reasonable relation to the size of the letters forming the other components of the statement of identity; except that if the optional form is visible through the container or is depicted by an appropriate vignette, the particular form need not be included in the statement.” I would interpret this to apply to tea bags vs. loose tea.
4. CONTENTS DECLARATION
Section 403(e)(2) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (the "FDC Act") and 21 CFR § 101.105 require that the principal display panel bear a declaration of the net quantity of contents expressed in numerical count, weight, measure or a combination of numerical count and weight or measure. The declaration must: (1) appear as a distinct item on the principal display panel; (2) be separated, by at least a space equal to the height of the lettering used in the declaration, from other printed label information appearing above or below the declaration and, by at least a space equal to twice the width of the letter "N" of the style of type used in the quantity of contents statement, from other printed label information appearing to the left or right of the declaration; and (3) be placed within the bottom 30% of the area of the label panel in lines generally parallel to the base on which the package rests as it is designed to be displayed. (On packages having a principal display panel of five square inches or less, the requirement for placement within the bottom 30% does not apply.)
21 CFR § 101.105(3) requires that the term “net weight” shall be used when stating the net quantity of contents in terms of weight. This may be abbreviated but may not be omitted.
The type size of the contents declaration must comply with specifications that depend on the "area" of the "principal display panel" (See, No. 1 above regarding the "Principal Display Panel") as follows: (a) not less than one-sixteenth inch in height on packages the principal display panel of which has an area of five square inches or less; (b) not less than one-eighth inch in height on packages the principal display panel of which has an area of more than five but not more than 25 square inches.
Finally, the metric equivalent of the net quantity of contents that is declared by weight or volumetric measure is required to be included as a result of the American Technology Preeminence Act of 1991.
This section assumes that the declaration of quantity of contents (i.e. 10 TEA BAGS) will be the primary choice of the packager and allows for the combination of quantity and net weight for purposes of clarity, but does not speak to the use of only net weight without quantity where quantity would otherwise be the customary measure of the product. In the case of tea bags, I believe it is safe to assume most customers measure a package by the number of tea bags rather than the total weight of tea in the package. I have reviewed a number of the labels for teas that are prominent in the United States and determined that they usually declare the contents as a combination of numerical count AND net weight where applicable. I would recommend that the contents be declared on the front panels of the bagged tea products as follows: "10 TEA BAGS NET WEIGHT 0.9 OZ/25g e".
5. NUTRITION INFORMATION
All food labels are required to bear nutrition information presented in accordance with 21 CFR § 101.9, unless exempt. In general, foods that contain insignificant amounts per serving of all the nutrients (vitamins and minerals for which a daily value is established) and food components (calories, fat, carbohydrate, protein, etc.), as long as the food bears no nutrition claims or information on the label, in labeling (brochures, etc.) or in advertising. 21 CFR § 191.1(j)(4). The vast majority of teas and herbal teas are exempt from nutrition labeling on this basis, but many major tea brands include a "Nutrition Facts" panel, particularly those which have begun featuring the "antioxidant" properties of tea.
6. INGREDIENT LIST
Section 403(i)(2) of the FDC Act and 21 CFR § 101.4 require that the label of a food include a list of all ingredients that are declared by their common or usual names and in descending order of predominance by weight. The ingredient list must be included on the principal display panel or the information panel. An accurate identity statement on the front panel, such as "Black Tea", "Green Tea", etc., may be sufficient for single-ingredient tea or even a blend of black tea leaves so long as the only ingredient is Camellia Sinensis.
7. NAME OF MANUFACTURER/DISTRIBUTOR
Section 403(e)(1) of the FDC Act and 21 CFR § 101.5 require that the label of a food in package form specify conspicuously the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer or distributor of the food. The statement of the place of business must include the name, street address, city, state and Zip Code. However, the street address may be omitted if it appears in a current city or phone directory.
When the food is not manufactured by the party whose name appears on the label, such as a U.S. distributor, that name must be qualified by a phrase that reveals the named party's relationship to the product, e.g., "Distributed By __________".
8. COUNTRY OF ORIGIN MARKINGS
Section 304 of the Tariff Act of 1930, 18 U.S.C. § 1304, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection regulations require conspicuous, legible and indelible country of origin markings that disclose such information to the ultimate purchaser, i.e., "Product of China" or "Made in China" on products of foreign origin. Generally, each time the container or holder (retail package) of foreign goods includes the name and address of the U.S. distributor, the name "United States" (or abbreviation) or any U.S. city or state, the country of origin's name must appear in close proximity and in comparable type size.
So there's my summary. Even this abbreviated version is painful, but not nearly as much so as wading through the regulations themselves... trust me! :)
Additional useful links:
Food Labeling Guide
Food Labeling and Nutrition Overview
Adagio Teas
Twitter: @AdagioRetail