Oi Ocha

Packaging, Branding

Oi Ocha is a popular Japanese green tea from the brand Ito En. Ito En prides itself on the simple flavors of its high quality teas, so I wanted to embody these values with my redesign. The labels are printed on handmade Japanese washi paper.

The Problem

While I was doing some market research on tea beverages, I noticed that most bottled tea packaging is very similar, with very bright and busy graphics. By simplifying the design on the bottles, I am able to help Oi Ocha stand out on the shelves.

Goals

My goals for this project were to elevate the customer’s experience by modernizing and simplifying the design, to reference the brand’s strong roots in Japan, and to use higher quality materials for the bottles.

The Solution

With this new look, Ito En can expand its market to not only include high-end grocery stores like Whole Foods, but the tea won’t look out of place on the tables of a nice Japanese restaurant. I wanted to pay homage to their classic packaging design by reflecting the tea fields on the bottle design. To add on to that, the labels are printed on handmade Japanese washi paper. The pattern of overlapping waves that I used is a traditional Japanese pattern that represents good luck.