A team project that was part of RIT's Packaging Design class. We presented a recreation of the primary packaging for Starbucks Coffee. My roles on the team included structural design, user research, and pitching the final presentation

1. Starbucks Final
Presentation

2. Review of Creative Brief
Objective: Design 12oz ground packaging in the Food, Drug and Mass Channels
Design 16oz whole bean packaging in Starbucks in retail location
Must be Iconic, Portfolio Driven, Enhance the User Experience and Loyalty Ready
Design must be consistent with the Starbucks brand
Designs should solve for both structural and communication aspects of the package, including:
- Function and interactions (e.g. closure, freshness retention, etc.)
- Presentation on shelf in both locations
- In hand quality
- Materiality
- Communication hierarchy
- Role of the starbucks brand
- Product variant communications
- Other relevant product details

5. What the consumer wants/needs
Interested in speciality premium coffee
Focused on experience rather than the price
Environmentally conscious. Willing to consider
different brands if they feel it will be better for
sustainability effort
Coffee consumption has moved from the privacy of
consumers’ homes to more public venues, and is
then compounded by social media

6. The Design
Starbucks Brand Philosophy
To inspire and nurture the human
spirit ...a warm and textural and nuanced
brand - Jean Marie Shields (Starbucks in-
house designer)
Our Goals in new designs
-sustainable in some way
-keep something of the culture the coffee is sourced from
-take inspiration from the coffee’s qualities
-draw the consumer’s attention in store
-not disrupt the in-cafe design
-a nuanced design that keeps the customer interested
Expand the formal qualities of the starbucks logo/brand without losing the
unique story of each coffee blend

7. Wireframe of the design
Describing Hierarchy, size, image
placement, etc.
Recyclability information, infographics
Tone down the core elements in the
original brand and incorporate it into an
elegant premium pattern
Detailed and symmetrical to give a
premium feels
Requires the user to have a more
intimate experience with the packaging

8. Veranda
● In Latin America, coffee farms are often
run by families, with their own homes on
the same land where their coffee grows.
We’ve sipped coffee with these farmers
for decades, sitting on their verandas,
overlooking the lush beauty of the coffee
trees rolling out in the distance. Most
times it was a lightly roasted coffee like
this one. It took us more than 80 tries to
get it right—mellow and flavorful with a
nice softness.

9. Design of Veranda (photos)
Coffee is sourced in Latin America
-had to bring in influence of culture (top thing + birds)
Feeling of sitting on veranda and enjoying cup of coffee
-benches
-warm yellow
-sinuous curves

12. Caffe Verona
● This is a coffee of one true love, and three
names. We created it just for a Seattle
restaurant in 1975, naming it Jake’s Blend.
And people loved it. So many, in fact, that
we began hand scooping and blending it
to order in our stores, where it was known
as 80/20 Blend, for the recipe. The love
was so strong we finally made it official,
calling it Verona after the city that inspires
so many. By any name, this is a thing of
pure romance.

13. Design of Caffe Verona (photos)
Romantic and “roasty sweet”
-roses, drops of coffee, swirls
Feeling of sitting in an Italian cafe
-elegant chairs and tables
-shades of pink

16. Breakfast Blend
● We introduced this blend in 1998 for those
who prefer a milder cup. A shade lighter
than most of our offerings—more toasty
than roasty—it was the result of playing
with roast and taste profile together for a
flavor that appealed to a wider range of
palates. Perfect if you want to wake up to a
less intense coffee but still want a lot of
character, it's lively with a citrusy tang that
gives way to a clean finish.

17. Design of Breakfast Blend (photos)
Feeling of waking up to greet the morning
-suns
-trees
-blooming plants
Slight Latin American influence
-Naranjilla oranges grown in the region

20. All Designs Together on a Shelf
12 oz - bright contrast will help stand out
-white bar calls attention
16 oz - low contrast helps blend into decor of Starbucks cafe while helping logo
stand apart
-together: patterns create premium block
-apart: because it is an up-close product, each time the consumer looks the
pattern reveals more detailed elements to be discovered.

23. Sustainability Effort
Sustainable design is part of who we are and what we
do.
Current Packaging. Problems
After coffee is ground it releases carbon dioxide, the value
allows for the gas to escape while keeping oxygens and
other scents from entering
Standard coffee packaging relies on multi-layer
packaging, layer dedicated to the preservation of the
coffee and additional layers for printing and structure.
The packaging industry is constantly looking for new
opportunities
There is no perfect solution

26. The Form
MARK WRITE DOWN THE INFO YOU LEARNED
ABOUT PRODUCTION COSTS
Why did we choose the form that we did.

27. Materials
Sustainable Solutions
Dual Layer Packaging
First Layer - pulp based recyclable paperboard with soy based ink
Second Layer - The standard film coffee bag, no decoration
- With the valve to ensure the freshness of the coffee
This is the compromise to give control back to the consumer. The can easily
separate the bags. Recycle the exterior and trash in the interior. Reduces
waste while still ensuring the freshness of the coffee

28. Iconic, portfolio driven, enhance the user
experience, and loyalty ready?

29. Thank You