by Amber on January 5, 2012 in Design
Behold owls, coffee and letterpress, together at last in a wonderful example of packaging design: Metrio Coffee.




The Metrio Coffee identity was first inspired by the classical vintage themes of ancient Greece (the Athenian owl and olive branches), then combined with a modern yet simple design. The word Metrio is derived from the common way Greeks drink short black coffee – METRIO – meaning short black with one sugar (medium sweetness).
{From Behance - via Maya – thanks!}
Being the design nerd I am, I always seem to find half the fun is in the packaging. These Leona Edminston stockings were recently given to me with that in mind. I like the peek-a-boo window, slide out tray, and the custom printed tissue paper. While I’m not entirely convinced by the graphics (less retro, more contemporary – more like Mor?), nevertheless it feels like a luxurious encasement for some nice hosiery. And as long as it feels expensive, that’s all that matters.





Other examples of slick packaging for little things include H&M’s tights, Peter Alexander’s Days of The Week knickers which come in a pretty, frilly gift box (I was given these, they’re awesome), and Loulou Loves You (when I opened the package it was as joyful as peeling foil off an Easter egg).

Now to find something to wear all these pretties with!
My love affair with tea packaging continues. First we had Tea: Beautiful Packaging, to the art of boxing and bagging. Of course, there were many more fine examples than would fit in one post, hence part two. Voila!
By the way, if you’re interested in keeping a tea-log or finding new flavours/brands on which to sup, Steepster is a wonderful community site to check out!

Kaffe 1668 is a New York coffee house with its own line of teas. Designer Megan Cummins brought the 20+ teas to life in a prescriptive style.

Dr. Stuart’s (extraordinarily good tea) was designed by one of my favourite design studios, Pearlfisher, who seem to turn every piece of packaging into gold.


Teahugger’s clean and simple boxed were designed by Brian Peters. The name is adorable too!

New Zealand is the new home for a 4,000-year-old Chinese Oolong tea. For the first time ever Oolong tea has been grown outside Asia. Brand agency Designworks (my old crew) developed the name, brand and packaging for ‘Zealong’ – positioning it as a tea of the very highest quality.

T2 is a gorgeous Australian tea and tisane brand. The packaging is bright, bold and dripping with personality. On the T2 site you can even find a tea to match your zodiac sign (I’m going to presume Scorpio is not nettle tea).



I’m lucky to admire a few of the boxes every day in our kitchen. I’m enamoured with their ‘single serve’ hand woven plum blossom green teas, and sheer muslin tea bags. When combined with one of their glass teapots, you’ve got the perfect gift for any connoisseur or design nerd. Oh, hint hint!
Tea, the drink of choice for queens the world over, is also the king of beautiful packaging. I’ve been digging around and saving my favourites.
Here is an Orla Kiely designed tin for Bewley’s:

Kiely says of her bright box – “Bewley’s was an important sanctuary to me as a student living in Dublin and I am delighted to be working with them as they are an iconic Irish brand. We chose one of our signature prints – the ‘Scribble Stem’ in a classic red and cream with bright chartreuse contrast lid. We hope our tea caddy will add a flash of colour and become a treasured feature in the kitchen.”
English brand Clipper uses hand drawn type and illustration to showcase their natural flavours:

French brand Chateau Rouge, uses an object (which has relevance to name or the flavour notes) to identify each tea:

Mallard make the cutest takeaway cups – featuring whimsical patterns and a cute teapot silhouette:


“Mallard is a specialist tea company which sells loose leaf tea through its shop and tearoom in Knutsford. The mix and match branding is inspired by the eclectic feel of the establishment which is quirky, eccentric and unmistakably English.”
Andrews & Dunham sell loose tea in beautifully designed little tins – I love this elephant Ceylon one:

Finally, origami tea bags from Russia. Not strictly packaging bu whatevski – they are beautiful! The bird apparently forms and unfolds gradually while the tea infuses.

It seems those on the European side of the pond are miles ahead of the pack when it comes to injecting a little charm into their tea boxes!
What brand of tea do you drink? Does it keep it cute ‘n loose? Tight and tinned?

It seems those on the far side of the pond are miles ahead of the pack when it comes to injecting a little charm into their tea boxes!
by Amber on August 6, 2009 in Design
Maybe I posted these before, or maybe they are a hazy beautiful memory from one of the trend reports I used to write… I don’t remember. Either way, these Belvoir cordial bottles are gorgeous to look at.



Swirling hand crafted type and a classic form, with hearty nods to an authentic flavour. Ah, forget the design wank. They’re pretty!
[More at lovelypackage]
by Amber on July 17, 2009 in Design
Swish new packaging for jewellers Meadowlark, as designed by my friend Xanthe of CinnamonSwan:

I adore the elegant look of black on black. Shiny, pretty, ooh! Also, I’m still waiting for someone to win my heart with the gift of a Meadowlark Blue Topaz Serpent Ring… Then I could personally check out the packaging. Win-win.
by Amber on July 8, 2009 in Design
Gorgeous tights packaging from our favourite Swedes H&M. Helvetica Neue is often seen a a cop-out by some designers but in the right dose it works. Add some clean, to the point photography and you get something beautiful:



Why don’t more brands bring beautiful design to their commodity items?