Bancha

Steeped in Tradition

Tea has a history, and for Bancha they aim to capture the tradition of each brew along with the history of each tea they produce. Featured on each of their containers are illustrations that demonstrate the meaning, history, or origin of the teas they offer.

The three teas I illustrated were Lady Grey, Tie Guan Yin (Also known as the Iron Goddess of Mercy), and Hyson Green Tea.

Along with handling the illustrations, I designed the branding of Bancha.

Logo Mark

For the Logo, the intention was to bring warmth to the name and using the tradition to encompass the design. The Logomark being the steam rising from a brew of tea accompanied by one half of the leaf. This with a foil of silver brought in a high-class appeal but also keeping the traditional aesthetic. This mark is also found on the outside of the lid of the tea and the inside of the lid carries the story behind the tea. So that the consumer can catch a whiff of the smell of the tea, inviting them to have a cup and to read.

Lady Grey

The first tea of flavors is “Lady Grey”. In the tale of Lady Grey we have the Queen of Ireland who lasted nine days before she was imprisoned in the Green Tower and executed. In the illustration, the addition of the tower accompanied by the Teapot and Teacup, to incorporate the sense of tea once more into the illustration, stands to detail the history of Lady grey. Symbolizing her without representing her exactly. The inclusion of the orange tree also stands to relate to how the teal has orange peels mixed into the black tea.

Tie Guan Yin

For Tie Guan Yin, also known as the Iron Goddess of Mercy, the myth declared that the tea bush came to a follower of the goddess in a dream. In this illustration tieing in the clouds and the night sky left for a dreamy feel.The tea leaves that are surrounded by clouds representing the tea bush that Wei had dreamed about. We have the dragon holding the tea shown only through the clawed hands since it is a direct relation to the goddess herself. The rolling clouds that billow from the tea creating the overall scene mentioned before.

Hyson Green Tea

For the Hyson Green tea label, the incorporation of the Boston Tea party as the historical element brings in the ship setting off towards the horizon. Leaving behind crates of Tea, amongst them are the teapot and teacup that were in Lady Grey’s and Tie Guan Yin’s Labels.

Product Packaging

TINA TERRANOVA