Jennifer Jennings, a design student at the University of North Texas, created clever packaging for the fictional coffee company Royal Kona Coffee. Jennings placed her focus on the heritage of the specialized Kona coffee bean that only makes up 1% of the coffee grown the world over. She looked to the rich history and traditions that surrounded the Kona coffee growers for inspiration, choosing a lively palette inspired by native Hawaiian textiles.
Jennings paid particular attention to the highly decorative feather cloaks referred to as ahu'ula. These lush garments were crafted for the ali'i', the Hawaiian equivalent to royalty. Known for their bold and colorful patterns, Jennings selected the ahu'ula patterns to decorate the front flaps of the Royal Kona Coffee bags, the remainder of the bag was informed by the striking patterns found on more pedestrian Hawaiian textiles called kappa. To cap off the experience, each bag is accompanied with its own piece of Hawaiian trivia or phrase.
Bold, brilliant and educational, the Royal Kona Coffee packaging offers a well-rounded sensory experience.
What's Driving This Trend
- Origin-focused Packaging
- Creating packaging that highlights the origins and heritage of a product, providing a unique and immersive brand experience.
- Incorporating Cultural Inspiration
- Infusing packaging design with elements of traditional and cultural motifs to create visually striking and engaging experiences.
- Interactive Packaging
- Adding interactive elements such as trivia or phrases to packaging to engage and educate consumers.
Who This Affects Most
- Food and Beverage
- Opportunity for companies in the food and beverage industry to differentiate their products through thoughtful and culturally-inspired packaging designs.
- Tourism and Hospitality
- Opportunity for companies in the tourism and hospitality industry to enhance the guest experience by incorporating cultural storytelling and educational elements into their packaging.
- Design and Branding
- Opportunity for designers and branding professionals to explore innovative ways to create packaging that captures the essence of a product's origin and heritage.
