Japanese restraint, with enough presence for a shelf.
Wordmark and packaging for maho matcha, a premium matcha brand rooted in calm and ceremony, with enough presence to hold its own on a shelf.
Overview
maho matcha is a premium matcha brand rooted in calm and ceremony. The product is quiet by nature, and the packaging has to sell that quiet without being ignored.
We designed the wordmark and the packaging: boxes, pouches, jars and the small things around them, like business cards. The range runs from ceremonial matcha to a smoothie blend and seasonal specials, so the system had to hold a quiet everyday pack and a louder limited edition without looking like two brands.
Details
- Client
- maho matcha
Scope
- Wordmark01
- Packaging02
The challenge
Premium matcha sits on a shelf full of green tins that all look calm. Calm on its own disappears. The brand needed the restraint people expect from good Japanese tea, and enough presence to be the one that gets picked up first. Too loud and it looks cheap. Too quiet and nobody sees it.
A wordmark written, not typed
The name is written in one brush-like stroke, with a small macron over the "o" kept as a deliberate detail. It feels handmade, like a signature on a tea box, and it still reads from across a shop. On the business cards the same stroke stretches out into a single wave.
One bold green, quiet everywhere else
We picked one confident green and a deep blue and let them carry the whole range. Specials get their own voice through calligraphy patterns, like the Valentine's box, while the everyday packs stay quiet. That way the range can grow without the shelf turning into noise.
