Creating instant connections for Common Coffee

With this instant coffee product, Common not only needed to establish a new precedent for their market space, but also get people on board with the idea that instant coffee can still taste amazing.

Working with a young brand meant we had to navigate guidelines that didn’t consider new additions to the product range. Our creative team had to find ways of evolving the brand without veering too far from their existing visual identity.

We needed to represent their bold tone of voice and brand story, weaving those strands into the packaging. We also wanted to differentiate the packaging from styles used by competitors, so we avoided overly minimalist layouts, dark colours or vintage fonts and motifs.

Our first step was to conduct thorough market research to understand what competitors were offering and what mattered to Common Coffee’s audience.

Special consideration was given to the written copy on the packaging, as the small box size and no-nonsense tone of Common’s brand voice meant information had to be kept simple, clear and to the point. This included minimalist instructions (Mug + Coffee + Water) as well as a simple, colourful visualisation of the coffee’s flavour notes.

The end result was a bright, boldly designed box and sachet that brought together the Common Coffee’s fresh approach with a premium, artistic style evoking the quality of the product.