Nitro Nectar Coffee

Project Details

Spring 2025 Branding and Packaging

Deliverables:

  • Coffee Can Packaging

  • Print and Digital Ads

Summary

Nitro Nectar is a concept nitro cold brew coffee brand featuring unexpected, gourmet-inspired flavors. Designed for those drawn to unique flavors and elevated daily rituals, the project pairs playful packaging with a cohesive ad campaign to make coffee feel more expressive and indulgent.

Discovery

Through research into the cold brew market and competitors like High Brew, Chameleon Cold Brew, La Colombe, and Pop & Bottle, I identified an opportunity to stand out through flavor. While many brands focus on simplicity, Nitro Nectar centers on bold, unexpected combinations to appeal to consumers looking for a more unique coffee experience.

Mood Board

To capture a balance of indulgence and playfulness, I leaned into bold, saturated colors. Bright palettes, playful illustrations, and expressive type create a visual language that feels energetic and approachable while also highlighting the brand’s unique, unexpected flavor combinations.

Sketches

In the sketch phase, I explored themes of natural nectar, morning energy, and dripping, fluid forms that hint at both dripping nectar and the smooth, foamy texture of nitro coffee. This is also where the retro-inspired illustration style began to emerge, adding a sense of whimsy that aligns with the brand’s playful flavor combinations.

Digital Drafts Round 1

The pink and red retro walking cans emerged as the strongest direction from this first round of rough drafts. However, feedback pointed out that the color palette and bottle shape felt medicinal, prompting further exploration of form and color in Round 2.

Digital Drafts Round 1

For this round of drafts, I designed at scale for the label and incorporated the full set of product information. I also introduced the bold, vibrant color palette from the mood board, which brought up some contrast challenges. Feedback following this iteration focused on hierarchy, color, and ensuring key information wasn’t overly stylized, which informed the next round of revisions.

Print Ads Round 1

For the magazine print ads, I continued the retro-inspired direction from the bottle label. I drew inspiration from vintage magazine ads and classic M&M’s campaigns, where products are personified and given a sense of character and story.

Final Design

Reflection

This project pushed me to build a cohesive brand across packaging and advertising. Iterating through feedback helped me refine hierarchy and ensure the design remained both playful and functional. My biggest takeaway was the importance of balancing bold visual expression with clarity, especially when working with vibrant color and stylized type.