Interview about Sinten Coffee Packaging, winner of the A' Packaging Design Award 2024
The challenge of this packaging design project was to think about how to present on the packaging the result that Sinten Coffee Roastery is proud to provide customers with the freshest taste, the aroma of roasted coffee beans. So in order to seamlessly integrate the brand message into the visual identity, the designer found inspiration from the laws of nature through analysis and deconstruction. The perfect proportions that take full advantage of premium coffee are presented with lines, making it more visually appealing.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsIn the packaging design for New Deng Coffee, I wanted to use the purest visual language to capture the essence of coffee—clean, focused, and delicately layered. Therefore, I used minimalist lines and geometric shapes inspired by different coffee makers as the foundational elements, almost like illustrating the steady, rhythmic flow of coffee extraction.The fine lines symbolize the diffusion of aroma and create a sense of visual “breathing,” while the geometric forms provide a precise and orderly framework, giving the packaging distinct recognizability even within a minimalist approach. By structuring these elements, we established a unique visual landscape for the brand.
Earth tones have long dominated the coffee market, and I wanted New Deng Coffee to communicate with consumers in a more energetic way—one that also represents Kaohsiung.The orange color comes from the city’s intense sunlight and the dynamic energy of its harbor. The warm tones reflected off metal surfaces and the water convey enthusiasm, honesty, and a lack of pretension. It’s a bold color, yet it naturally aligns with Kaohsiung’s pace and the brand’s pursuit of freshness, making the product instantly noticeable on the shelf.
I strongly agree with the concept of the golden ratio in coffee brewing—beans, roasting, and brewing are all indispensable. This proportional idea inspired the rhythm of the illustrations.We translated line density, length variation, and the amount of negative space into a “visual 60/30/10.” This gives the illustrations a sense of rhythm that corresponds with the extraction process, creating a deeper harmony between the visual and the brewing experience.
The series includes different weights and sizes, as well as various brewing methods. To establish a strong and unified brand identity, we used a single line-art style to illustrate different coffee tools.However, within this consistency, I still wanted each tool to tell its own story. The variations in line behavior and composition allow each product to express its unique brewing personality while maintaining a cohesive visual system.
The coffee market is fiercely competitive, and most brands try to attract attention by adding more information or details. I chose the opposite approach—creating presence through restraint.The strategy included:• Minimalist white space that lets the visuals breathe, making the product stand out on cluttered shelves.• Bold use of color to ensure recognizability from afar.• Precise line language to reduce decoration and highlight professionalism.• Symbolic illustrations of brewing tools to strengthen memorability and reinforce the series identity.These decisions allowed us to stand out in a pure and contemporary way.
Moisture-proof materials do create limitations, but I believe constraints inspire smarter design.The surface characteristics of moisture-proof material determine how detailed the lines can appear. Meanwhile, single-color printing forced us to focus on the expressive qualities of line thickness, density, and rhythm instead of relying on color.In the end, these constraints made the design more refined and further emphasized the brand’s minimalist identity.
The A’ Design Award reinforced my belief that Taiwan’s cultural depth can indeed be expressed through modern design language.I didn’t draw directly from literal symbols. Instead, I translated the spirit of Taiwanese coffee culture—• the patience of handcraft,• the diversity of the market,• the warmth and fusion of the city—into the rhythm, spacing, and movement of the lines on the packaging.It’s not a folkloric presentation but a contemporary expression of “Taiwanese.”
While creating the line illustrations, I repeatedly reflected on the sensory process of brewing coffee.I wanted consumers to feel a sense of “coffee in the making” when they look at the packaging—the flow, the warmth, the aroma rising. It’s as if the visuals come first, and then the taste follows in their imagination.
Different packaging sizes introduce challenges in proportion and viewing distance. My approach was to build a modular line system that allows illustrations to scale freely without distortion.The core imagery stays in fixed proportions, while the density of details is adjusted accordingly. This ensures clarity and impact across all sizes while maintaining the brand’s narrative consistency.
I believe this design presents a new possibility for coffee packaging—one that doesn’t rely on excessive information to convey expertise, but instead uses visual order and sensory cues to communicate brand spirit.In the future, coffee packaging will go beyond aesthetics and take on cultural storytelling as well. This fusion of minimalism and cultural expression will likely become a core competitive advantage for the next generation of coffee brands.
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