Raising the bar for tea in a city that loves chai

Brand Strategy · Visual Identity · Illustration · Packaging · Brand Collateral

Cutting to the chase

Our first meeting was largely a discussion about everything the brand shouldn’t be. Once we’d worked through that rather exhaustive list, the client left us with the magic words.

“Everything else, I leave entirely up to you.”

When it comes to tea, for a lot of Indians matcha is just a term of endearment, Earl Grey might as well be the guy from 50 Shades Darker, and Pu-erh is how aunties from Lutyen’s describe anyone living on the other side of the Yamuna.

There was also a larger challenge brewing.

Chai and black tea were deliberately left off the menu. Instead, the focus was on green and white teas, unfamiliar varieties, and ways to experience them.

We needed to make this unfamiliar territory inviting, without making it feel like the drinks break in Lagaan.

The answer lay under our mugs

We arrived at ‘Teapoy’ fairly early in our exploration. This small table, traditionally used for serving tea, had something going for it beyond the obvious connection to the category. We could already picture it as an illustration.

That made the name particularly interesting. It gave us an idea to build on, even before we’d started drawing.

We took this rather unassuming piece of furniture, gave it a personality of its own, and made it the central character of the identity.

It could stand on its own as a symbol, appear in different contexts, or march across an entire pack of tea. And unlike a conventional logo, it had enough personality to keep us entertained well beyond the first few sketches.

Not bad for a small table.

Tea parties, rabbit holes, Alice is that you?

Before we put pencil to paper, we went looking for inspiration. At one point, an entire wall of our Pune studio was covered in printed references. But hey, there are worse ways to decorate an office.

Old Enid Blyton books, classic illustrations of Alice in Wonderland, archival prints, botanical drawings. We collected anything that caught our eye, particularly illustrations where peculiar characters, fine linework, and slightly absurd situations were all part of the charm.

All this research helped us settle on an illustration style that was classy without becoming stuffy. Traditional without looking dated. And playful without being childish.

There’s no reason a brand that takes its tea seriously couldn’t have a sense of humour about everything else.

Pinkies down, minds open

There’s a fine line between teaching someone about tea and making them feel they should have studied for the occasion.

We wanted Teapoy firmly on the right side of it.

The brand needed to introduce people to varieties, origins, brewing methods, and the finer details of tea culture. But information is only useful when someone actually wants to read it.

So we found ways to make the learning part of the experience. Coasters became little pieces of reading material, carrying everything from explanations of the first flush to some fairly questionable tea puns.

The idea was to reward curiosity, not test people’s knowledge. Give someone a reason to turn over their coaster, read a little further, and perhaps order something they hadn’t tried before.

Space, the final frontier

A tea bar brand also needs to hold its own on menus, stationery, coasters, doilies, napkins, and packaging. Some of these would be examined closely. Others would barely get a second glance.

Once we established the illustration style early on, we carried it through every application. Everything received the same level of attention.

The same old-world eccentricity ran through the typography, patterns, and illustrations, giving each application its own character without losing the family resemblance.

We kept the packaging deliberately restrained, with clear product information set against a whimsical repeating pattern.

And our involvement didn’t end with the printed material.

We also helped develop the spatial design for the tea bar itself, exploring layouts, furnishings, and visual references for an experience that extended beyond what was in the cup. From garden seating and shaded outdoor areas to cosy, library-like interiors, the idea was to give people somewhere they could settle in, spend time, and get properly acquainted with tea, sans the stuffiness.

Bigger ideas. Finer details.

TWO is where the wide view and fine line converge. Things that are often made to compete actually become stronger together.
That’s our bedrock.