Daycha is a small, single-serve canned milk tea company that wants to bring the hit Asian drink to your local supermarket. Milk tea is a cold beverage typically combined with tapioca pearls in boba shops. The main ingredients are milk with black or green tea, spices, and natural flavorings–it comes in a variety of flavors for all tastes such as matcha, ube, brown sugar, and chai. Most milk teas are naturally caffeinated, appealing to consumers who want a pick-me-up that are tired of coffee and energy drinks.
This project was born from my longing for more single-serve tea brands at the local supermarket. You know what they say, be the change you want to see in the world and all that. I wanted to challenge myself to make it stand out in a niche as crowded as canned drinks. The goal in designing the packing became to inspire curiosity, enough to sway the potential customer to give milk tea without the expected boba a try.
The visuals are poppy halftones complemented by bumpy vectors, taking inspiration from the Plakatstil movement and the Play-Doh art of Emma Bers.
Daycha is a portmanteau of dairy and matcha, the Japanese word for fine powdered tea. The logo reflects this by combining a tea leaf with milk droplets to form a sunrise. The sun motif communicates our drinks will start your day energized. The final logo is stacked to fit the limited space of a skinny 12 fl oz can.
In designing the can, catching the customer’s attention was the utmost priority. What kind of drink Daycha is and the flavor jumps out with a single glance, even from a distance. The fun facts on the back gets the customer to linger on the can longer, increasing the chances they commit to buying it.
The box continues the design principles of the can. Making the bright flavor colors dominate the packaging makes them stand out on the shelf. The added confetti and swirls impart the idea that this drink would bring a party to your mouth.
