Packaging and Merchandising Design Project 1
Packaging and Merchandising Design
Project 1 / Uncle Jeff Kombucha Label Redesign
25/05/2026 – 01/06/2026
Wang Jiheng / 0378904
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Packaging and Merchandising Design – Project 1
This lecture taught me that product labels serve far more than an aesthetic purpose — they act as a key bridge connecting products and customers. A well-designed label has to grab people’s eyes, deliver information accurately and showcase brand characteristics simultaneously.
I gained a clear understanding of visual hierarchy, which means prioritizing core content over supplementary details. Applying this idea, I put the kombucha product name front and center, while putting ingredient lists and nutrition data on the side sections of my label.
I also picked up practical knowledge about full-wrap labels. Since only part of the label is visible on a bottle, content arrangement needs careful planning. This guided me to adopt a three-section layout for my final work.
Besides, I realized how critical readability is. Font styles, spacing and content grouping all impact reading experience. To make the design cleaner, I streamlined the layout and removed redundant elements in my revision.
In short, I now see label design as a mix of brand building, information delivery and practical layout planning. All these takeaways have greatly shaped my final kombucha label design.
WEEK 6 – Color in Packaging Design
This lecture made me realize color is key to forming consumers’ initial impressions. Shoppers respond to packaging hues before reading any words, as colors can instantly convey emotion, product traits and brand style.
I also learned how color reinforces product positioning. Warm shades bring a sense of coziness, while green and neutral earth tones stand for health, freshness and natural ingredients. I applied these rules to pick colors for my kombucha redesign.
My final palette includes warm cream, chrysanthemum yellow, plant green, coffee brown and gentle orange. This mix echoes Malaysian chrysanthemum tea culture, and keeps the design fresh and modern.
In addition, a restrained, unified color scheme boosts brand recognition and gives packaging a more polished look. I avoided overusing clashing colors, and stuck to a small set of coordinated tones that fit my design theme.
To conclude, I now understand how color affects consumers’ views, shelf attractiveness and brand image. All my color choices for the label were based on the theories from this session.
Project 1 requires us to redesign the label for Uncle Jeff Kombucha. Uncle Jeff Kombucha is a local Malaysian kombucha brand that focuses on sparkling fermented tea made with locally sourced ingredients, real fruits, and spices with no artificial flavouring.
The existing label has a handmade and unique character, but the brief asks us to redesign it so that the product can look more professional, commercially appealing, and competitive in the modern beverage market.
The target audience includes health-conscious consumers, foodies in Malaysia who appreciate local and artisanal products, and consumers who are looking for healthier alternatives to soft drinks.
The deliverables for this project are:
1. A design rationale report explaining the visual direction, colour, typography, and imagery.
2. A high-resolution visual mock-up showing the redesigned label wrapped realistically around a large brown bottle.
3. A label die-line / flat file showing the full label design, text, graphics, and cutting shape.
Brand Research
I started the project by researching Uncle Jeff Kombucha through its Instagram page and existing product visuals. The brand has a colourful, friendly, and approachable image. Its visuals often feel handmade and playful, which helps the product feel local and personal.
From the brand research, I noticed that Uncle Jeff Kombucha communicates a strong local identity. The brand uses bright colours, illustrations, and a casual tone of voice. This makes the product feel less corporate and more connected to local culture.
However, the existing label system can be improved in terms of hierarchy, shelf appeal, and commercial presentation. Some information could be arranged more clearly, and the flavour identity can be made stronger through colour, typography, and imagery.
Flavour Choice
For the final label redesign, I selected Kopitiam Chrysanthemum Kombucha as the featured flavour.
I chose this flavour because chrysanthemum tea is a familiar drink commonly found in Malaysian kopitiams and traditional coffee shops. It is strongly associated with local food culture and everyday life. By combining chrysanthemum tea with kombucha, the product creates a balance between tradition and modern healthy living.
This flavour also provides a stronger visual identity for the redesign. The floral characteristics of chrysanthemum allow the label to communicate freshness, calmness, and natural ingredients while maintaining a clear Malaysian cultural connection.
By choosing Kopitiam Chrysanthemum Kombucha, I wanted the redesign to tell a more authentic local story and create a memorable product experience for consumers.
Target Audience
The primary target audience is health-conscious Malaysian consumers and food enthusiasts who appreciate local flavours and artisanal beverages. These consumers are often attracted to products that combine traditional ingredients with modern lifestyles.
The secondary target audience is consumers who are seeking healthier alternatives to sugary soft drinks. As a naturally fermented sparkling beverage, kombucha offers a refreshing option while providing a more natural and premium drinking experience.Visual Direction
Rather than creating a nostalgic or vintage appearance, I wanted to reinterpret these familiar cultural elements through a cleaner and more contemporary packaging design.The visual direction combines hand-drawn chrysanthemum illustrations, warm earthy colours, and soft organic shapes with a modern layout system.
These elements reflect both the natural ingredients of the product and the relaxed atmosphere of Malaysian kopitiam culture.The colour palette is inspired by traditional kopitiam beverages and ingredients, featuring warm brown, cream, yellow, and green tones.
The chrysanthemum illustration becomes the central visual element, helping consumers immediately recognise the flavour while creating a strong local identity.This direction allows the label to maintain Uncle Jeff Drinks' handmade and locally crafted personality while improving flavour recognition, readability, and shelf appeal. The result is a packaging design that feels authentic, approachable, and relevant to contemporary Malaysian consumers.
Colour Exploration
Colour Exploration
Based on the lecture, colour is one of the most important elements for shelf appeal. I explored different colour combinations using Adobe Color and refined the final palette based on the Chrysanthemum Kopitiam Kombucha concept. The selected colours help communicate natural ingredients, Malaysian kopitiam culture, and a warm handcrafted feeling.
The final colours are:
Kopi Brown #4A2B1B
This colour represents traditional Malaysian kopi, fermented tea, and the brown glass bottle. It gives the packaging a warm, authentic, and grounded appearance while reinforcing the kopitiam identity.
Warm Cream #F8F0DD
Warm Cream serves as the primary background colour of the label. It improves readability and creates a soft handcrafted aesthetic that complements the botanical illustration style.
Chrysanthemum Yellow #D9BC4B
This colour is inspired by chrysanthemum flowers and traditional chrysanthemum tea. It becomes the dominant visual colour of the label and helps communicate freshness, warmth, and flavour recognition.
Botanical Green #355E3B
Botanical Green represents natural ingredients, tea leaves, and plant-based fermentation. It provides visual balance and strengthens the organic character of the product.
Soft Orange #C96A2B
Soft Orange is used as a supporting accent colour. It highlights important information while adding warmth and visual contrast without overpowering the overall design.
After feedback, I decided not to treat the design as a pure dual-tone design. Instead, I used a controlled colour palette with a neutral cream and brown base, supported by teal and orange accents. This gives the design more flexibility while still keeping the colour system organised.
Typography Exploration
For the typography direction, I wanted the packaging to feel warm, soft, and approachable while maintaining a professional appearance. I selected the Gentle typeface as the primary typography reference because of its rounded serif forms, friendly character, and handcrafted feeling.
The Gentle typeface combines vintage-inspired softness with contemporary readability. This quality aligns well with the Contemporary Kopitiam Botanical concept, helping the packaging communicate both local familiarity and a modern lifestyle aesthetic.
The display typography is used mainly for the product name and flavour name. Its distinctive shapes create stronger shelf visibility and give the packaging a more memorable identity. The soft curves also complement the hand-drawn chrysanthemum illustrations and organic visual elements used throughout the design.
For supporting information such as ingredients, nutrition facts, storage instructions, and contact details, I selected a clean sans-serif typeface. This provides clear visual hierarchy, improves readability, and ensures important information can be easily understood by consumers.
The combination of the Gentle display typeface and a simple sans-serif font creates a balanced typography system that feels warm, modern, and suitable for the Uncle Jeff Kombucha brand.Imagery Exploration
The primary visual inspiration for the label comes from chrysanthemum flowers, which are commonly associated with traditional herbal beverages and natural ingredients. I selected this reference image because it reflects the flavour direction of the product while also supporting the botanical concept of the redesign.
Rather than directly copying the reference, I studied the overall composition, flower structure, and colour relationships to develop my own illustration style.
Initial Label Sketches
Based on the reference image, I created several rough sketches to simplify the flower forms and explore how the illustration could work within the packaging design. The sketching stage allowed me to experiment with composition, scale, and visual balance before creating the final artwork.The goal was to maintain a handcrafted and organic appearance while ensuring the illustration remained suitable for commercial packaging.
After selecting the most suitable sketch direction, I refined the illustration digitally and simplified the flower shapes into a cleaner visual system. The development stage focused on improving composition, balance, and scalability for packaging applications.
The chrysanthemum flowers were transformed into a contemporary botanical illustration style using simplified shapes, textured surfaces, and a limited colour palette. Large organic background forms were introduced to create visual hierarchy and provide space for typography and product information.
This stage bridges the gap between the initial hand sketch and the final packaging design. The developed illustration establishes the overall visual identity and serves as the foundation for the final label artwork.
Final Label Design
The final label design uses a three-panel wrap-around layout. The left panel contains the brand story, key product information, and barcode. The centre panel contains the main product identity, flavour name, and hand-drawn chrysanthemum illustration. The right panel contains ingredients, nutrition facts, storage information, and product details.
The centre panel is designed as the primary visual focus because it is the first area consumers will see on the shelf. A large Kombucha logotype creates a clear visual hierarchy, while the flavour name is positioned below the chrysanthemum illustration to improve flavour recognition.
The overall visual direction combines Malaysian kopitiam culture with chrysanthemum tea references. Hand-drawn botanical elements create a more natural and artisanal appearance while maintaining a clean and contemporary packaging style.
The colour palette uses warm chrysanthemum yellow, cream, deep green, and soft orange accents. These colours help communicate freshness, local identity, and a handcrafted product experience while improving shelf visibility and readability.
Label Die-line / Flat File
The die-line shows the full flat label design with the cutting shape and panel structure. The label is designed as a wrap-around label for a large brown bottle.
The design includes a safe area to make sure important text and graphics are not too close to the cutting edge. The left and right panels are used for supporting product information, while the centre panel is used for the main visual identity.
Final Bottle Mock-up
The final mock-up shows how the redesigned label would appear on a large brown glass bottle. The warm yellow label creates a stronger chrysanthemum tea identity, while the brown bottle helps connect the product to kombucha and traditional brewed beverages.
The hand-drawn chrysanthemum illustration becomes the main visual element of the packaging. It helps communicate the flavour clearly and gives the product a natural, handmade, and locally inspired appearance.
The mock-up also shows the scale, readability, and shelf appeal of the final label. The overall design feels more contemporary while still keeping a connection to Malaysian kopitiam culture and Uncle Jeff Drinks' handcrafted brand personality.
Google drive link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h4VqU3NZBwYdB3obI7D6ZHbUjC2s3B3k/view?usp=sharing
Fig 6.3 Final label Die-Line, PDF
Fig 6.4 Final label Die-Line, PDF
Visual Mock-up
Week 7 Feedback
During the progress presentation, I presented my initial research, visual direction, colour palette, typography direction, and imagery references. The lecturer commented that the chosen direction could work, but some of the early references looked too vintage. Since my direction was Contemporary Kopitiam Pop, I needed to look for more contemporary references.
The lecturer also explained that the colour palette should be supported by a proper colour system. I was advised to explore Adobe Color and consider using a triadic colour system. The lecturer also explained that dual-tone design means using only two colours, so my design should not be described as pure dual-tone if I use more accent colours.
For typography, the lecturer suggested that a Gentle-style typeface could work well for the label because it feels soft and friendly. I was also advised to pair it with a clean sans-serif typeface for the smaller product information.
Week 8 Feedback / Refinement
After receiving feedback, I refined the visual direction and made the label less vintage. I kept the local kopitiam reference, but simplified the layout and made the final label cleaner and more commercially suitable.
I also refined the colour direction by using cream and kopi brown as the main base colours, with teal and orange as accents. This helped the design feel more organised and improved the visual hierarchy.
The final label was developed with a clearer structure, including a brand story panel, main hero panel, and product information panel.
Experience
In this project, I learned how to redesign a beverage label by considering both visual identity and commercial function. At first, I focused mainly on making the label look local and decorative. However, after the feedback, I realised that the design also needed to be clear, modern, and suitable for the shelf.
Choosing Kopitiam Kombucha helped me develop a stronger local concept. I was able to connect the flavour with Malaysian daily life through the kopitiam coffee cup, warm colours, and handmade visual style.
Observation
Through the process, I observed that packaging design needs a strong balance between creativity and readability. A label may look visually interesting, but it still needs to include important product information such as ingredients, nutrition facts, storage instructions, and product details.
I also observed that colour plays a very important role in shelf appeal. When too many colours are used, the label can become confusing. A controlled colour palette helps the product look more professional and easier to recognise.
Findings
From this project, I found that a successful label redesign should not only improve the appearance of the product, but also communicate the product story clearly. The visual direction, colour, typography, imagery, and layout must all support the same concept.
I also found that local identity can be expressed in a modern way. Instead of making the design look old or overly traditional, I can use familiar local elements such as a kopitiam cup and reinterpret them through a cleaner packaging layout.
Overall, this project helped me understand how label design can combine brand identity, product information, shelf appeal, and cultural reference into one complete packaging system.
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