The Call
Hain Celestial’s Celestial Seasonings tea is one of the most expansive tea brands on the market, with over 105 varieties since their start in 1969. In a category that has historically been rooted in tradition, there was room for news and new offerings following the functional additive trends. From benefit-driven enhancements and wellness to flavor and mood, there was opportunity to increase relevance and infuse energy into the brand and category.
Celestial Seasonings called upon CBX to develop the brand and packaging for the innovation, a line of functional green and black teas, with a goal to capture the attention of a younger demographic. The way in? It started with two new functional platforms – energy and probiotic – within their green-and-black tea segment. We partnered together to launch the products with a fresh design that still tied to the core line – setting the stage for the entire portfolio update that would follow.
And we had to do it in just 6 weeks.
What we did
Design Strategy
Packaging Design
The Work
CBX was tasked with developing a new visual language for the Celestial Seasonings green-and-black tea segment while remaining true to Celestial’s brand foundation. It needed to appeal to a new generation of consumers—Gen Z—without alienating their long-standing, loyal customer base.
CBX dug into the brand’s meaning with the goal of simplifying, modernizing, and celebrating the magic that the brand carried. We drew inspiration from beyond the tea category that informed the design exploration, and we leaned into Gen Z design trends to ensure that the new look would attract the target audience and be relevant on shelf. The new visual language of custom illustrations and typography added modernity and popped on shelf, while staying true to Celestial Seasonings’ “Authentic Origins” positioning. The new offering was eye-catching at shelf and created buzz in the sleepy tea aisle.
The Impact
- The new Celestial Seasonings green-and-black tea segment was well received both internally and externally, selling into Walmart with high remarks on product innovation and category-breaking design.
- CBX helped Celestial Seasonings not only launch a product with a fresh design, but also seamlessly integrate it with the core line… successfully setting the stage for an entire portfolio update.
- The work has won multiple design awards, including multiple 2020/2021 GDUSA awards and a 2020 Transform North America award.
