Starpack Tea and Coffee: Flavours

This set of Yung Tea will be made up of experimental flavours - or flavours of tea you wouldn't necessarily find in a supermarket or store. 
Ideally, I would like a variety of teas - maybe including one tisane/infusion (not technically a tea but in the same association). Flavours can be added to black, green, oolong tea etc. so having a mix of these would create some variety to the range, and allow consumers to try more flavours.

There are existing flavours of tea that can be considered extremely odd and out of the ordinary. Examples of this include bacon flavoured tea and hot cross bun tea. While interesting and definitely experimental in flavour, I think these flavours can be classed as more novelty than anything else, and this doesn't fit with the brand being one of luxury. Therefore I think I will have to stick to flavours you wouldn't find out of place in tea, such as fruits and spices, but create interesting mixes within these parameters.

T2 are a very experimental brand and have hundreds of flavours of tea, each categorised within black, green, white tea etc. 

Banana Bake
- black tea, banana, nuts, vanilla, marigold petals

Caramel brownie
- black tea, cocoa, chocolate (includes milk), caramel pieces

Sencha Peach
- green tea, peach, chamomile

Honey Green Almond
- Green Honeybush, cinnamon, almond

I think that these flavours are so interesting, the combination of natural flavourings from fruit and other spices make them sound so appealing. I think from looking at these flavours I have realised that I would like my range to be inclusive and edible by all. Because of this, I would not include nuts in case of people with allergies, and also would not include ingredients that vegans could not consume, such as milk. Keeping the range edible by all will allow more people to buy, and there could be a recommendation on the packaging itself if the tea tastes better with milk, to allow people to add this themselves. This also suits the generation I am aiming my range at - more and more people are choosing to live a plant-based lifestyle, especially younger people and millennials.

Chosen flavours

Blueberry and Lemon Green tea
Blueberry and lemon is a combination I have seen in baking and also oddly as a vape flavour. I have heard of lemon green tea but never the 2 flavours combined together with a tea. I thought the combination would go well together. Another consideration is that blueberry is a "superfood", so there is the added health benefit.

Chilli and Mango Black tea 
The combination of spicy with sweet sounds interesting to try and marry. I have seen mango black tea, as well as chilli with some black tea flavours. I have also heard of a chilli and mango sauce but not within a tea. Black tea is the best tea to combine with bold flavours given its stronger flavour due to the processes it undergoes. Mango and Chilli are both bold flavours.

Apple and Cucumber White Tea
White tea is an unprocessed, delicate type of tea, and I thought that the flavours of this tea should also be delicate and not clash, but instead complement each other. I have chosen apple and cucumber as a flavour combination as I think the flavours will work well together and also compliment the tea.

Starpack Tea and Coffee: Initial Ideas Expanded

After the 503 briefing, we did a task where we came up with 50 ideas for the briefs. 

After doing this I did the survey which then narrowed my market/audience as well as the avenue I wanted to go down in terms of specific product.

One aspect of the brief I thought would be interesting to explore was the creative use of tin and reusability as a set. The tins themselves need to be interesting so they can be displayed decoratively, both for shelf impact as well as within the house. My initial thought the way I could start with this element was the shape of the tins. Most tins are either square or cylindrical in shape and I feel that these shapes have been over used. Creating a tin in a different shape would make a bigger impact. Another idea that branched off this one was the idea of tesselation - an arrangement of shapes closely fitted together, especially of polygons in a repeated pattern without gaps or overlapping. 

Fenty beauty is a makeup range recently brought out by Rihanna. The packaging for the products within the range plays heavily on tesselation - some products are in a hexagonal or octagonal case, and the promotional videos and photographs for the range show the products arranged within the tesselating patterns.

fig 2

I thought this aspect of tesselation could be interesting to display within a home - there are existing products that use the same premise. One example is of wine racks, the design of the "honeycomb" racks add a decorative aspect to a functional item. This could be an interesting way to display the tins - with them on their side and the lid facing out - this would mean adding information to the lid as well as the tin itself. 

fig 3

fig 4

Another plus side of having tins that slot together is the aspect of being able to display them in a different way in displays in stores that stock the set - as well being able to fit more when transporting them - cutting down on carbon emissions.

Another idea I wanted to explore further was the use of colour within the packaging. From the research I could see that brands with more traditional flavours or a more traditional background tend not to use many bright colours in their packaging - preferring instead a more minimalist or pared-back aesthetic, using pastel colours or lots of white within the labels. Considering my range will be focused on more unusual experimental flavours, the use of colour could be a vital element in the packaging. I think a mix of bright colours could reflect the mix of flavours of each type of tea, however, I will have to be careful not to make the tins look juvenile. With some colours, for example, bright or primary colours, these can tend to look very young and basic. The colours will have to be chosen carefully to avoid this look. Booth's tea (fig 5) does an effective job of marrying together and a minimalistic approach which avoids the brand from looking too juvenile.

fig 5

fig 6

The biggest issue I think I am facing at the moment is the element of luxury. As the set is a luxury gift set I need to keep that element as the main consideration and marry it with the modern and experimental vibe of the range. Combining all these ideas needs to be carried out successfully. To me, luxurious brands tend to look more traditional as opposed to modern, but I want to turn this on its head and be able to portray all selling points together. I could do this by adding a process into the packaging - for example embossing on to the metal, laser cutting the label, or foil blocking onto the label too. Foiling could work well against the colours in the packaging and show that the brand is luxurious as well as young and modern. The packaging for the makeup brand Hilary (fig 6) marries together bright colours as well as foil within the packaging. Whereas the colours are far too bright and I would consider them juvenile, the simplicity of the design alongside the foil that wraps around the box hints that the brand is at a higher price point. 

Starpack Tea & Coffee: Tea research

For my luxury range I have decided to focus on tea rather than coffee as I myself enjoy tea more than I do coffee and I think therefore will have more interest in the project.

Tea
Tea is made from a combination of boiling water and leaves. The leaves are taken from the Camellia sinensis (China, Korea and Japan) and Camellia sinesis assamica (Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka) plants. 

Types
There are a few different types of tea. These include: Black, Green, White, Oolong (type depends on process). Flavoured teas include jasmine, earl grey, chai. Then there are tisanes or herbal infusions - peppermint, chamomile etc. These are not actual tea as they do not come from the tea plant, but rather from other plants, and are used in the same way as tea.

Origins
Chinese myth/legends - Shennog (Emperor and inventor of agriculture and Chinese medicine) was drinking boiled water as leaves fell into it. The water changed colour and out of curiosity he drank it and was surprised by the taste. Then tested medical properties of herbs on himself and counteracted the poisonous ones with tea.
During the Han Dynasty in 2nd century BC was used as medicinal. During the Tang Dynasty, tea drinking became popular and spread to Korea and Vietnam.
During the Sui Dynasty (589–618 AD) tea was introduced to Japan by Buddhist monks.
During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), production and preparation of all tea changed. The tea of Song included many loose-leaf styles (to preserve the delicate character favoured by court society), and it is the origin of today's loose teas and the practice of brewed tea.

Where?
China
Tea originated in China. Biggest producer of tea in the world, accounts for 18.5% of worlds exports.

Britain
Introduced to Britain by Portuguese princess who married Charles II.

India 
Britain introduced tea to India to rival China.


Obscure facts

• second most consumed drink in the world after water
• approx 1500 types of tea
• US drinks mostly iced tea - prepared with lots of sugar
• Lipton is the worlds best selling tea brand
• 725 BC China gives tea its own character "ch'a."
• Thomas Sullivan mistakenly invents teabags when he sends tea to clients in a silk bag and they steep the whole bag.
• art of reading tea leaves is tasseography
• 'agony of the leaves' the way the leaves unfold when hot water is poured on them

Starpack Tea and Coffee: Market research

I have decided to create a range of teas for the brief instead of coffee. Reasons for this was the response to the survey I conducted where more people said they preferred tea, as well as my own personal preference. I feel that as I prefer tea I will be more interested in the brief and able to produce a better outcome.

I have begun to research existing brands and chose not only to look at luxury, high end companies but also popular lower end brands. In this way I can get a broader, more holistic understanding of existing brands/companies and how they sell themselves. By looking at their unique selling points I can choose which aspects to research further and potentially use as selling points for my own brand.

Existing brands

(Low end)
Twinings
Twinings is one of the biggest companies in tea in the world. Part of their USP is their rich history dating back to 1684. They have the oldest brand logo in use in Britain (dating back to 1787) and are affiliated with the Royal Family, again adding to their unique traditional advantage. They are also a family company, ten generations of the Twining family have remained running the brand.



Clipper 
Clipper is a relatively new brand, arriving in supermarkets in 1996.  Their slogan is 'natural, fair and delicious', meaning that as part of their USP they concentrate on where the tea comes from. They were the first UK tea company to become Fairtrade - adding to their mantra of 'It's what's on the inside that counts'. 
As well as this ethical standpoint they use unbleached teabags and only use natural flavourings. 


(High end)
Whittard of Chelsea
Similarly to Twinings, Whittard's USP focuses on tradition and history, however in this case the brand was built on buying the 'best'. It is a high end brand and has a much higher price point.

T2
In contrast to the other tea brands mentioned, T2 is a tea brand of Australian origin as opposed to UK. The story of the brand repeatedly mentions 'a tea revolution' and the aesthetic and audience of the brand reflect this. By experimenting with new tea flavours, the brand has brought in a variety of customers (they mention artists, students, hipsters, musicians, backpackers - all of who could be seen as a fairly modern, young audience.)

The style of T2 really speaks to me. The young and fun vibe is portrayed through the design of the packaging as well as the names of tea blends, and even extends to within store, where the black walls are stacked with colourful boxes and tins.  

T2 also have an extensive range of flavours that could be said to be unusual and experimental and seeing as the responses from the survey were swayed in favour of experimental flavours as opposed to more traditional ones, the brand is definitely something I can draw inspiration from.

Starpack Tea and Coffee: Tea Types

Growing
All tea starts the same - from the Camellia Sinensis plant. These tea plants need at least 50 inches of rain a year. They thrive in a warm, humid climate. Tea can grow in places at sea level to as high as 7000 ft above sea level if given the right conditions: deep, light, acidic and well-drained soil.
Tea bushes can grow up to 15-20 feet in the wild but in tea gardens, the bush is kept plucked for 3-4 feet for ease of plucking. Tea is plucked by hand and workers can pluck 20kg of tea leaves a day.

Process
It is only after the leaves are plucked that the differentiation between types of tea begins. Depending on the type of tea wanted, a different process is used for each.

White tea
White tea comes from young tea buds. The leaves are barely oxidised so retain their softness. They are also not rolled or crushed at all.
Due to the lack of oxidisation, the tea has the highest level of antioxidants of any type of tea. It 

Green tea 
The leaves are heated immediately after plucking to prevent oxidisation. 
The tea has a low caffeine level making it a stimulant and ideal for meditative purposes, as it provides a slight high with no crashes. It also has a high level of Vitamin C as well as B vitamins, folate (naturally occurring folic acid), manganese, potassium, magnesium, caffeine and other antioxidants.

Yellow tea 
A similar process to green tea, however, leaves are slightly oxidised.

Oolong tea 
The leaves are semi oxidised then withered and rolled, often by hand. The leaves are allowed to partially oxidize and then are fired in pan or basket to stop the oxidation process. The last step is roasting the leaves. Sometimes charcoal smoke is used to add flavour to the tea.
It also contains vital vitamins and minerals such as calcium, manganese, copper, carotin, selenium, potassium, and vitamin A, B, C, E, and vitamin K. Additionally, it contains folic acid and niacinamide.

Black tea  
Fully oxidised tea. After the leaves are plucked they are allowed to wither. They are then rolled and crushed by hand or by machine. This activates the oxidation processes and the leaves are allowed to turn black. Finally, they are fired in ovens to stop the oxidation process.
Black tea has a high caffeine level and is the most popular type of tea in the world.

Starpack Tea and Coffee: Packaging research

Brief specifications
- set of 3 or more 
- tins (made from metal)
- luxury packaging

Going on these specifications I have begun to look at some packaging for tins and also other food products.

fig 1

fig 2

The above packaging for tea does not incorporate metal into the design - however, the structure of the tins could allow the material to be changed. The structure of these requires 2 cylinders - one nesting inside the other. If I were to use this packaging style, the inner cylinder (containing the tea) could be constructed from metal and the outer sleeve which is placed on top could be made from card or even wood. The brief does state that the "core" element must be tinplate, so using wood may not suit the specifications. If this is true, then the outer sleeve could easily be made from tinplate too. The use of 2 components gives a sleek look to the packaging, and the inner sleeve (as in fig 2) could be an eye-catching feature, using either bright colours or embossing or even cutouts in the metal. 

Considering the contents is also vital to packaging design and the tea inside will need to be kept as fresh as possible. It will be sealed in foil bags (as per the brief) but extra protection may be needed. In this case, the structure could change from 2 sleeves to a round tin including a lid and a sleeve to be fitted over the top. The consideration here is that the extra sleeve would only be used for aesthetic reasons. This would be an issue in cost with manufacturing and could also be considered a waste of materials.

fig 3

fig 4

The shape of the tins for Platform T tea (fig 3) is interesting as it uses a square for the tin itself and a rounded lid. The contrast between these 2 shapes gives the tins a more traditional feel - if the lid had been square the tin may have felt more modern due to the angular nature of it. Also, a point to note is the colour and finish of metal in the packaging. The burnt orange colour hails to more traditional aesthetics, as opposed to more modern colours such as silver (in chrome or stainless steel). These metals would also have a very shiny finish - but this tin is matte which suits the colour of the metal well. I like the idea of using coloured metals for the packaging as it brings more interest to the design. Using a plain silver tinplate has been overused and adding the colour will help the tins to stand out. I will research into the coloured metals I could get as the range may be limited.

The white label contrasts against the dark orange of the metal and the text is very clearly laid out. What is interesting is on the back of the label (fig 4), information about the tea and instructions for brewing are simplified and arranged in an easy to read fashion. This would be handy for tea drinkers who want to know this information quickly - the caffeine level and steeping time, in particular, I find very useful to get the best out of the tea. Also, a nice feature on the label is the thin band of colour which runs around the bottom of the label to differentiate between each flavour of without distracting from the beautiful colour of the metal. The pared back design and delicate design of the label with the addition of pattern and the traditional feel makes the brand seem luxurious.

fig 5

A more simplistic design, these tins for a fictional brand Tea for Two (fig 5) were designed to evoke feelings of calm and tranquillity, similar to the feelings that are evoked "during the English ritual of making a pot of tea". This is done by using pale, harmonising colours and a running pattern through the design. The feature I like the most is the label with the information on - a sticker placed over the lid, fixing it in place. The use of text in a smaller size lets the negative space contrast against the pattern and simplifies the design even further. 

Another aim for these tins was to have a modern feel and try and entice a younger audience as traditional tea drinking is on a decline amongst young people. I think the design has worked quite well in marrying the traditional side of tea with a younger look and aim. 

fig 6

This Just Cook packaging (fig 6) is not for tea but instead seasonings for use when cooking. I decided to expand the range of tins I looked at so I would gain more ideas. 

Initially looking at the tins, my impression is that they look extremely modern, and I think this is due to the use of black as the core colour. Against this, the use of colour otherwise is limited to white for the main text and the features that change (the type of seasoning), the colours of which vary across the tins. The limited use of bright colours works cohesively to make the range look consistent yet it provides an obvious point of differentiation. 

The tin and the lid are also consistent, however, are interesting as they differ in appearance. Whereas the tin design is pared back and simplistic, relying on the use of black and limited text, the lid is busy with text. Again featuring all the brand and flavour information, the lid also contains extra text stating the place the brand originates from as well as slogan and tagline. While the overall effect is modern and well designed it feels very busy and does not have an air of luxury.

Product Range Distribution: Life Cycle of a T Shirt

The lifecycle of a cotton T shirt

There are 5 main stages in a T shirts life: material, production, shipping, use and disposal. 

The lifecycle of a T shirt begins with materials. This stage involves multiple processes  - farming, irrigating, fertilizing, harvesting and ginning.

China, India and the US are the three largest producers of cotton in the world, and the US is the world’s largest exporter of cotton. Commercial cotton farming uses an immense amount of water, and the use of pesticides is rampant across the globe, especially when it comes to cotton farming. According to the EPA, studies have shown that farmers spend an average of $4.1 billion on pesticides annually. Furthermore, 25% of all pesticides used in the United States are used on cotton crops. - (source)

Even before the T shirt is made, the materials used to create it are taking a toll on the environment. To make one cotton T shirt, 2700 litres of water are used, or 3 years worth of drinking water. Cotton farms take up only 2.4% of the worlds cropland but the amount of chemicals used to farm wash into ecosystems and affect developing countries. So not only does the fashion industry consume excessive water, but also pollutes existing water sources using toxic chemicals.

The Aral Sea in central Asia used to be 4th largest lake in the world, but due to unsustainable cotton farming, the lake has shrunk to just 10% of its size. Below shows the shrinking of the lake from 1977 - 2013, and you can see the lake is almost all depleted. Also the communities that depended on it have suffered losses to their livelihoods, as most fish and food sources have disappeared as a result. It is covered in carcinogenic dust, from this unsustainable farming and excessive use of toxic chemicals.

The production phase is not much better - spinning, knitting, wet process, bleaching, dyeing, confection, cutting and sewing. These processes use up vast amounts of energy and water. The dyes and bleaches especially can be toxic and pollute groundwater - further adding to the already wasteful water use in the farming stage. 

It’s estimated that around 20% of industrial water pollution in the world comes from the treatment and dyeing of textiles, and about 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles. It’s estimated that a single mill can use 200 tons of fresh water per ton of dyed fabric. - (source)

Transportation is the next stage in a T shirts life cycle. Many clothes are produced in China and India and so need to be shipped and distributed overseas using planes, ships, etc. This inevitably produces CO2 emissions, and uses up fossil fuels and increases pollution. 

When in retail, the T shirt seems harmless enough, but once the T shirt is bought and in use, the amount of water needed to wash the T shirt as well as energy to dry it, the environmental impact is still ongoing. The average American household does 400 wash loads per year and with each wash using 40 gallons of water on average, again the water use adds up.

Disposal is the final stage of a T shirts life. Once the consumer has had enough of the T shirt it is disposed. This can be via incineration (again producing harmful emissions), or in landfill. Just 15% of clothing in the US is recycled meaning 85% of clothing is left to rot in landfill - cotton takes years to degrade.

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Researching into the life cycle of just 1 cotton T shirt was shocking, especially in terms of the water usage. Discovering that just 1 cotton T shirt's water consumption is 2700 litres shows how bad the fashion industry is for the environment. Also the amount of chemicals used (insecticides, pesticides, bleaches, dyes) and the resulting pollution on the surrounding environment is abysmal. 

Ways to reduce the environmental impact 
- buying organically produced cotton products counteracts the chemical effect on the environment, however the water use is still excessive.
- extending the lifecycle of garments (especially cotton garments) by nine months. This can reduce the water footprint of clothing by about 5-10%

Even more shocking is the fact that cotton is a fairly natural material and other synthetic materials are even more damaging to the environment. 

Polyester is one of the world’s most common fibres and it uses the same material found in plastic bottles. But when we wash our polyester clothes, thousands of microplastic fibres are washed into the waterways. In fact, it’s estimated that a single polyester garment releases 1,9000 individual plastic microfibers. And guess where these microfibers end up? In our oceans where they threaten ecosystems and end up in our food chain. - (source)

Product Range Distribution: Sustainable fashion - Primary research

In order to gain some primary research I sent out a survey to my peers. The questions were centred mainly around second hand clothing, and from the responses I wanted to gauge whether people my age are already buying second hand, and their reasons for this.

Overall responses on the survey were as expected, with many of the respondents owning second hand clothes. Reasons for this ranged from the clothes being cheap, to brands being available as well as the second hand look and vibe being in style at the moment. One answer was more focused on the ethical/environmental side of the movement "because fast fashion is ridiculous, we don't need all these clothes, child labour, the environment etc etc". Having only one respondent giving these reasons for buying second hand could show a lack of awareness around the subject, or a wider more likely reason of lack of social awareness. Most of the respondents giving their reasons for buying second hand as cost and style is understandable, as they are students and funds are low. While this is bad and shows lack of wider awareness, this could be aspects used to promote the lifestyle of buying second hand.

Another issue raised arises from question 6: 

Would you yourself reconsider your buying habits if you were told that the fashion industry is responsible for 92 million tons of solid waste per year globally, representing 4% of the 2.12 billion tons of waste we dump globally each year?

While 7 people answered yes, 5 people still answered no, and one person chose other with their own custom response: "if everyone did yes, but no because i'm only one person and why should I start when other people aren't". 

This is worrying considering that the fashion industry is one of the largest contributors of waste in the world, again showing that the respondents may not be as socially aware as they should be, and are unwilling to change their own personal habits. This does not reflect previous research into millennials being the most ethical and ecologically aware generation.

Micro Genre: brief and background

Studio Brief 1

small

micro genres of music

thoroughly research a micro genre of music from website. research should be extensive with the intention you become an expert in the genre.

www.everynoise.com/engenremap.html

design an object that celebrates or critiques an aspect of the genre's specific characteristics: political/aesthetic/production methods/audience/demographic/key intention and its connection to place

how do these micro genres help us understand some wider issues about the society that created them

Genre

Glenn McDonald, or Spotify's "data alchemist" has used an algorithm to analyse and categorise music on Spotify and found 1387 genres (as of 2016. The number in 2018 now stands at 1542 genres). 
Over 60 million songs have been analysed on a "molecular" level, factoring in tempo, acoustic-ness, energy, danceability, strength of the beat and emotional tone. After being sorted into genres, they have been mapped on everynoise.com (below).

The variety of genres are decided by machines - there are no emotional connections, just mathematical factors or digital signatures. The machines divide and categorise based on sonic differences, however then a human touch is needed to research and name the sub genre.

The process can get confusing as there are many variations upon one distinct style eg indie pop is then sub categorized into shiver pop, etherpop etc. However despite the crossovers between genres and the wide differences between the sub genres there are still distinct boundaries between types of music. 

Music is still growing and evolving, which is clear given the addition of almost 200 micro genres from 2016 to early 2018 and being able to categorise and quantify music genres like this is a sign of how far music can grow and change.