Taika – Hatchet

The Craft of Creativity

There are a few times in your life when your passions and your talent overlap completely, and I was lucky enough to be able to have one of those moments working with Taika.

Taika is a new beverage startup focusing on coffee and tea with adaptogens…and with no hyperbole, they are the best tasting options on the market. They have a truly unique perspective on not only the quality and care that goes into making a product, but how that product can be used to benefit the consumer. And so, a can of ‘creative fuel’ was born and I had the opportunity to step in and help Creative Direct (along with my buddy Billy) the development of the brand guidelines and establish some fun and unique perspectives on how to showcase the brand in action.

Role:
Creative Direction, Design, Motion, Concept

One of the first things I did was help refine the wordmark. The orginal design had a few small things that felt out of sorts, and I know from taking to the team at Taika that there was some early scramble to just knock something out. I squared up and aligned the tittle, rounded some inside corners, matched some kerning throughout, and what you see at the top of this page is the result. It doesn’t look too far off the original design, but now it feels a little cleaner and comparing the two (original and reworked) there is just a calmer feeling and sense of purpose.

And from there it just got more fun…messaging, brand positioning, a new icon set for ingredients and health benefits, a whole separate brand guide sub-section on Motion Design rules/techniques…the whole enchilada, as it were.

All in all, a really fun project to be a part of…and even more of a fan of the products now. I can’t wait to watch these guys take over the functional beverage market and make the world a better (and tastier) place!