Contract
Overview
Rashomon is a coffee roaster with a distinctive business concept inspired by high-end wine tastings. Their product offering includes a set of three coffees, each with its own unique qualities. Consumers are encouraged to create cupping experiences at home and record their observations using Rashomon's partner app, Tasting Ground.
The brand name is a nod to the 1950s Japanese film by Akira Kurosawa. As the graphic designer for Rashomon, my role involved creating designs for Rashomon branding and packaging.
Guided by a brand tone conveying mystique and minimalist aesthetics, I crafted a visual identity that blended contrasting elements to spark curiosity and allure. I focused on creating grain texture illustrations that referenced the 1950s movie, aiming to design packaging that reflected the essence of the Rashomon concept.
Research Methods
Contextual Inquiry
Competitive Analysis
Timeline
Ongoing
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painpoints
Rashomon /ra·show·muhn/
The Rashomon effect refers to an instance when the same event is described in significantly different (often contradictory) ways by different people who were involved.
Rashomon offers a curated set of three distinct coffees, each with its own unique characteristics. Designed to elevate your home brewing experience, Rashomon encourages you to conduct personalized cupping sessions and document your findings using their partner app, Tasting Ground. To ensure an unbiased exploration of flavor, Rashomon intentionally leaves tasting notes off the packaging, empowering you to discover and appreciate each coffee's nuances without any preconceived notions.
visual identity components
Mood Boards
Logo
Typography
Color Palette
Illustrations
Creative Applications
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The basis of the logo is made with two fonts “Pangaia” and “Playground”. Playing off the of the concept of “multiple versions of the truth” - I used two fonts in combination with each other. Once I combined the fonts - I altered the logo further and added custom flourishes to add a level of refinement.
The Rashomon concept requires that the name, coffee notes, and origin remain anonymous - so we needed a way to differentiate the coffees without compromising information. I created a numbering system as an easy and clear way to delineate them.
The illustration created for the numbering system references the cup used for the cupping process.
Analyzing our success and shortcomings
Usability Test
Feature 1 | Program
You are interested in the 9-month program; find out some information about the program
Users navigated to program directly but struggled to understand program content and information
Developed a visual language to convey information to make it less text heavy
Mid-Fi Insight
Hi-Fi Takeaway
Feature 2 | Mentor Application
You’re interested in getting involved in a nonprofit as a volunteer mentor; apply to become a mentor.
Users were consistently split between navigating to “get involved” or “mentorship” tab
Provided a visual emphasis for mentorship on “get involved” as it is the most common path
Mid-Fi Insight
Hi-Fi Takeaway
Feature 3 | Workshops
You're interested in attending a workshop but don't know what subjects the workshops usually cover, find a past workshop.
Most users struggled finding “workshops” link within the program page
Provided a separate “workshops” page within the navigation bar
Mid-Fi Insight
Hi-Fi Takeaway