One of the main takeaways from the client meetings was the idea of tea as a ritual and how it encourages people to be more present. This became the starting point for my concept, shifting my focus away from tea simply as a product and instead towards the experience and emotions connected to it.
Throughout my research, I began exploring how tea naturally creates pauses within everyday life. Although tea is often treated as a quick drink in the same way as coffee, the process of making it encourages people to slow down, wait, and take a moment for themselves. This led me to think more deeply about rituals and how tea fits into different moments throughout the day.
From this, I developed a concept centred around different types of tea rituals. These rituals explore moments of grounding, connection, memory, and reflection. Some rituals are personal, such as taking a quiet moment alone to reset, while others are shared experiences built around conversation and storytelling. I was particularly interested in how tea can connect people not only in the present moment, but also to memories, culture, and heritage.
This idea became especially relevant when working with the supplied written content from Suki Tea. The stories and poems included themes of migration, identity, nostalgia, and community, which connected naturally to my concept of rituals and time. Rather than creating a direct advertisement for Suki Tea, I wanted the publication to feel more editorial and experience-led, using storytelling to bring tea to life in a more thoughtful and contemporary way.
Visually, I explored ways to balance traditional and modern elements in response to the client’s request for a more modern, type-led design. I selected Obviously Compressed as the primary display typeface due to its bold and contemporary appearance, helping create strong hierarchy and structure across the layouts. Baskerville was then used for secondary body copy to introduce a more traditional and refined quality, reflecting the heritage and history connected to tea.
Colour also became an important part of communicating the different rituals. I developed a soft pastel palette to create a calm and reflective atmosphere throughout the publication. A raspberry pink was used as the primary identity colour to introduce warmth and modernity, while softer supporting tones help distinguish different ritual sections. Using cream instead of white softened the overall aesthetic further, creating a more tactile and editorial feel.
Alongside typography and colour, I developed a series of minimal continuous line illustrations inspired by cups, steam, teabags, and the movement of tea itself. The flowing line quality reflects the passing of time and the gentle nature of tea rituals, while the simplified forms keep the illustrations feeling approachable and contemporary. I wanted the visuals to feel expressive without becoming overly polished, helping maintain a human and reflective tone throughout the publication.
