Featured image for Take A Step Into Nature with Botanical Coffee Co.

Take A Step Into Nature with Botanical Coffee Co.

by Casha Doemland on 10/18/2018 | 3 Minute Read

The morning cup of coffee is a sacred ritual for many people the world over. Look no further than the $20 million worth of coffee exported annually around the globe. If that's not a convincing enough statistic, Americans drink 280.5 million cups per day.

That's a lot of coffee, and the options are endless between massive corporations like Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts offering you coffee on the go and Folgers and Keriug making it easy to make at home.

In the midst of giants, we mustn't forget about the local cafes and coffee shops or household names that deliver unique and fun flavors.

Editorial photograph

For Nathan Riley, design director of Bristol-based agency Green Chameleon, The Botanical Coffee Co. is a conceptual brand that delivers Columbian coffee beans and a variety of cold brew.

This project started as a fun way for him to improve his branding and packaging design skills. “I also wanted to create a product that I could see going to market, leaving the opportunity open for a coffee manufacturer to take it forward as a real-life product,” chimes in Riley.

As a conceptual product, Riley wanted to ensure the brand carried some real meaning behind it, which is where the idea of a coffee product inspired by nature came about. One thing led to another, and “Botanical Coffee Co.” was established alongside the visual direction to use organic patterns and colors.

Editorial photograph
Editorial photograph

Botanicals serve as the main point of inspiration as can be showcased by the shades of green and pink featured throughout the packaging. "The marbling effect is also tied back to nature and aims to represent natural organisms and life forms, the kind of things you might see when looking through a microscope," says Riley.

The script, on the other hand, is a nod to vintage brands and is then paired with a soft serif typeface for contrast. Additionally, the packaging features a gold badge with a "BC" in the middle and "Crafters of Finest Coffee" and "Simply Inspired By Plants" wrapped around it.

"Everything on this project was created digitally," starts Riley. "My process is generally to get my ideas onto a screen as quickly as possible to establish what works and what doesn't."

Editorial photograph

This process works because, despite his greatest challenge revolving around a brand that would be worthy of sitting on the shelves, he developed a concept that currently has interest from a company to take the brand forward.

If all goes according to the plan, Riley will create custom versions of the marbling effect featured on the side of the bags and rims of the cans to create a unique look as the current design is a stock pattern.

It's difficult to bring a concept design to life, especially when it comes to such a crowded category, but with any luck, we'll see Botanical on a shelf during a not-too-distant trip to the grocery store.

And hopefully, the coffee's pretty, pretty, pretty good.