As part of the Nespresso overall coffee architecture for packaging projects we developed the visual identity for Master Origins, a new permanent line of coffee for the Nespresso coffee range. The brief was to tell the story of global coffee craft and the unique process associated with different provincial coffees from single origins. The work needed to stand out from the competition, bring to life and simplify a complex story and make sure the level of luxury and craft associated with Nespresso was communicated to the audience.

The idea was to start with the big picture, to create a scene of the unique coffee processes. To do this we created a series of posters. We took cues from mid-century travel posters but added a craft twist. Starting with the posters themselves, we created scenes from the regional coffee fields. In Ethiopia, the coffee cherries are left to dry in the intense tropical sun creating wilder tasting coffee and in India, being exposed to the wet monsoon winds and fierce heat creates bold woody notes. These posters would form the basis of the VI for the packaging, creating a bigger story than just the pack themselves.

The posters created scenes from the different coffee fields. Rather than illustrate with expected flat colours, akin to travel posters, we created scenes using a pointillism technique reinforcing the craft aspect of the coffee growers themselves. Each piece of artwork was painstakingly put together one dot at a time, building up a complete picture across the poster. On the packaging the artwork is printed in a mixture of metallic inks to build on the overall feeling of luxury and craft. Rolled out globally in 2018, the range of posters and coffees take consumers on a journey around the world to discover the craft of coffee making, refined over centuries.

Unfortunately, Nespresso do not release results on specific projects but what can be said is that the poster creative has formed the backbone of a highly successful permanent packaging range that has rolled out globally over 2018 and will continue to sell globally going forward.