Sipsoothe is a fictional tea brand inspired by a friend who gave me a cup of mugwort tea for my stomach cramps. I've never been one to forage, but the idea of collecting to help people with common ailments is something I wanted to explore as a real business.
Creating a Brand Personality
When deciding how I wanted SIPSOOTHE to be perceived, I chose three archetypes: the caregiver, maverick, and sage. The tone of the copy would be kind yet assured in its knowledge, with some rebellion against large-scale agriculture. The mascot to match this tone is Sox the raccoon. Raccoons are associated with their bandit mask, rifling through trash cans with their grabby hands. Therefore, this brand will sneak and investigate to bring the best ingredients to you.
The process for creating the character went from lazy and happy to calm and caring, more like a maternal figure. Once I had settled on a mugwort chamomile blend for the tea, I sketched a few options for what Sox could be holding.
The Tea Box
Expanding the Brand
From bagged tea came loose-leaf tea. Using a new dieline, I applied the same graphics to a larger bag, creating a cohesive set of two.
And from tea, naturally, comes socks! Hand-painted mugwort plants wrap around a pair of ankle socks. While they remain a decorative piece, they complement the brand's sustainable practices and personality. The house-shaped packaging allowed space for small illustrations and colors to add to the previously monochrome palette.
Final Packages
