Tomorrow’s identity for premium tea brand Usai is steeped in dualities and reverence for craft

Usai is a New Zealand-based premium brand of loose-leaf tea that connects consumers to the rich history, rituals, and cultures associated with the beverage. To bring it to life, the founders of the tea label collaborated with neighbouring New Zealand-based creative studio Tomorrow to craft the brand world from scratch, including the strategy, story, name and packaging.

Driven by curiosity, the final aesthetic is premium and highly considered, designed to appeal to a target audience who are widely travelled, adventurous, and inspired by discovery. “As we researched the tea market and the origins of tea, we discovered traditions and legends dating back centuries, and a whole culture and craft we never knew existed. The more we learnt, the more curious we became, and this curiosity aligned with the target market our client had identified,” Co-Founder & Strategy Director Ben Crawford explains.

The research revealed that the world of tea is full of opposing forces – an idea that turned into a conceptual strand. Today, centuries-old tea traditions are enjoyed in modern environments; the beverage originated in the East but is widely exported to the West. “And in particular, we were interested in the role light and shade play in creating the unique characteristics of each tea variety,” adds Crawford. The team at Tomorrow decided to take notes from this sense of duality, felt first and foremost in the colour palette.

Usai’s visual language is largely monochromatic, not only symbolising contrast but also the oxidation process of tea. “Oxidation is the process where tea is exposed to the air to dry and darken, contributing to the flavour, aroma, and strength,” Design Director Charlotte Sole explains. “So we used white boxes for teas with no or low oxidation, like a vibrant green tea. Whereas more oxidised teas, like an Oolong or black tea, are packed in black boxes.”

The duality of the brand is further expressed through tactile elements such as embossed and debossed details on the boxes that create depth, light and shadow, reinforcing the premium look of Usai. “This thinking then fed into the brand photography, creatively allowing us to explore the contrasts between light and dark, soft and rigid,” Sole continues. “All products were shot in both a light and dark set, using sheets of paper to form liquid-like forms and compositions, with beautiful depth coming from the play of shadows and light on the surfaces.”

The primary typeface chosen for Usai’s identity is Helvetica Now Display, with a particular emphasis on the natural mirroring between the ‘s’ and ‘a’ letterforms, creating a beautiful symmetry and connection to the brand’s central theme of duality. “Anchoring the identity at the front is the strong ‘U’ form, a visual nod to a cup or vessel,” adds Sole.

The secondary typeface, Suisse Int’l by Swiss Typefaces, was chosen for its crisp and versatile qualities, aligning with the brand’s ethos. “We love this typeface for its ability to elevate the work through its simplicity,” Sole reflects. “In the context of Usai, the beauty and balance come from a place of restraint and purpose. What needs to be there is there, what doesn’t is not. Suisse as a typeface perfectly aligns with this thinking.”

Tomorrow

Usai