Project Overview

Revitalising the masculinity of the Australia tea market - This concept was the foundation to establishing the brand The Tea Guild as boutique Tea brand providing an offering to a male demographic, a sector typically neglected within the Australian market.

Drawing from tradition and designing for longevity sees to the creation of this elegant and crafted brand and accompanying packaging system. The set includes custom fabricated tea tins, a Queensland Walnut storage box, stainless steel tea strainer, coasters and information guide.

Organisation

And Creative

Team

Lead Designer: Christian Andrée
Designer: Elki Lemmetty

Project Brief

Rejuvenating the desire and consumption of tea to a male consumer - The project brief emerged from a critical analysis of the current Australian consumer and the psychological and behaviour traits that enforce a males decision to engage in certain products/practices, and the heavy influence of social and consumer trends on the male demographic.

The brief was to understand the current consumer psyche and determine how marketing antics are dividing and segmenting products to become gender specific while defining what the designers role is in re-establishing, re-imobilising and re-connecting a sector that has been neglected.

The project needed to speak to a male demographic, alter consumer behaviour based on insight, be designed for longevity and re-establish a product that existed however was not seen applicable to all of the market.

Project Innovation/Need

The current marketplace is saturated by FMCG tea packaging targeted towards a female demographic ostracising 50% of the consumer market. With consumption of tea by a male demographic steadily declining within Australia there is a need to encourage and rejuvenate tea consumption by men.

'The Tea Guild' was created to provide an offering to a male demographic whilst still remaining applicable to females alike, with its sleek style and crafted finishings it encompasses sophistication and elegance while remaining purposeful and practical.

It is also this notion of FMCG packaging that has also seen to exacerbate the culture of a throw-away society leading to an unsustainable way of living, therefore creating a need for a sustainable solution. This was achieved by designing through longevity, creating a product that would be kept for years to come. By moving away from throw-away packaging and instead creating a keepsake piece using premium Australian materials encompassing quality and promoting appreciation we were able to achieve this.

Design Challenge

Understanding the mindset of the Australian consumer market place, both behavioural and psychological. The design challenge was to understand and unlock the key reasons behind such a standout demographical loss of a particular consumed item (tea) and its tradition by almost half of the consumer market. Analysing market trends by various sectors from designer, consumers, retailers, producers and marketers to determine how tea consumption had become so dominated by a female audience and what behaviour and psychological trends alienated male consumers.

Effectiveness

'The Tea Guild' speaks engagement, connectivity, ritual and tradition; it is the entire process that captures and involves the end user. Drawing from ancient traditions and designed for longevity 'The Tea Guild' is dominated by a sense of ritual, with the elements corresponding and interrelating to a process and achieved outcome. The package has become more than just a simple box of tea, instead it boast elegance and boutique features which capture the end user from beginning to end, involving them in the tradition and process of tea from the moment of sight to consumption.

The material choice of Queensland Walnut with a defined stainless-steel trimming and premium black leather speaks to this male demographic through its sleek, sophisticated and crafted aesthetic.