Justin Bernardy
Justinbernardy95@gmail.com
850-830-4563
This project aimed to provide Ueshima Coffee with a distinct line of RTD beverages, and a tradeshow concept to garner partnerships and promote the new product to potential distributors. The project took place from October 2023 to March 2024, and was produced using Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, and Blender 3D.
Ueshima Coffee Co., Ltd., commonly known as UCC, is a renowned Japanese coffee company with a rich history dating back to 1933. Established by Ueshima Tadao in Kobe, Japan, the company has since expanded globally, becoming one of the leading coffee brands in the world. UCC is celebrated for its commitment to quality and innovation in coffee production, offering a diverse range of products including ground coffee, instant coffee, canned coffee beverages, and coffee equipment. With a focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing, UCC continues to captivate coffee enthusiasts worldwide with its exceptional blends and dedication to excellence.
1. Ueshima Coffee needed a sub-brand for an RTD beverage.
The RTD line needed to be distinct from the main product line while maintaining the brand.
2. The company needed to expand its market and reach more distributors.
Ueshima Coffee Co’s primary audience is avid coffee enthusiasts, Environmentally conscious individuals, and those interested in Japanese culture. Through my research, I discovered that Ueshima Coffee has strategically integrated cultural elements into its marketing campaigns, notably employing calligraphic strokes and the iconic red sun. With this observation in mind and understanding the cultural significance, I set out to broaden the cultural scope within the design, aiming for more variety in the product design. After thorough consideration, I integrated traditional masks as a complementary cultural motif for the RTD beverage and the beckoning cat as an additional elemnt for the tradeshow .
I began by researching the company's history, beliefs, and products/services. From the beginning, I knew I wanted to incorporate some facet of Japanese culture as an additional motif and the brand's existing calligraphic strokes and red sun into the new design. Still, it took time to decipher how to do so. I also knew that I wanted to employ the existing graphics in the tradeshow as a means of wayfinding, or even displaying merchandise. With those goals in mind, I began sketching concepts for RTD drinks, which, in time, led to the decision to use the masks. You will see that certain elements from each concept made their way into the final sketch. It was similar to doing a puzzle, but needing to find all of it's pieces first.
The Illustrations seen here were then taken into Photoshop for added texture and blending with the withered paper texture. Below are the final layouts that took this approach.
Using Blender, I created one final product mockup to allow for more control in my creative direction. By doing the scene in 3D, I alleviate the need for a photographer and can change lighting, texture, etc., quickly, allowing for new opportunities when presenting to clients. (or, in this case, my professor).
This concept takes a multi-faceted approach to promoting the brand, from merch to a themed event. Again, the idea harkens to Ueshima's long-rooted history and rich cultural depth by modeling the display to look like one of the original storefronts. The Iconic calligraphic brush stoke is used as a floor decal to lead the eye to the entrance.
The first iteration was much more heavily saturated and vibrant. The concept remained the same, and a majority of the ideas present here were carried over to the final. A crucial point of the feedback given to me was that the overall brightness and saturation present in this version diminished the effect of it being an older coffee shop. This was too modern, and I agreed.
Taking the feedback I received into account, I dimmed the lighting, and made the overall atmosphere a bit cozier and more inviting. In turn, this change also made the environment more believable.
Knowing the weight the brand has placed on cultural motifs, I used historical masks in my design. Significant energy went toward understanding the cultural significance of each mask used in the design. I pursued a visually captivating and illustrative design strategy that enhanced product differentiation and augmented brand diversity while retaining its iconic graphic elements. This approach materialized as two distinct ready-to-drink (RTD) varieties, complemented by a 3D-rendered tradeshow concept in which I modeled each asset and a merchandise line.
