Teaholic started as a brief I gave myself. I was doing a lot of e-commerce work at the time and felt like most of it was behind the curve in terms of aesthetic - clients wanted safe, and safe was what we knew worked 2-3 years ago. So I set myself a project with no client, no constraints, just a question: what could e-commerce look like if you actually applied where design was heading in 2016?
Tea felt like the right canvas. There were specialty shops around at the time - T2 was one locally - where you'd discover new blends, try something unexpected, leave with something you hadn't planned to buy. It was also something that was quite active in our office - with a couple of my colleagues bringing in their most recent purchases and making a batch for us curious few to try. It's also just the backbone to most social events and I really enjoyed that loose leaf (and all the quirky shaped infusers) were getting their moment to shine.
Only that experience didn't really exist online. Most tea brands were cluttered and dated, doing nothing to match the product they were actually selling.
So I took it upon myself to fill a gap. You could buy pre-made tea or you could blend to your tastes - kind of like how you can do this with boba now. Giving creative freedom to the community of die-hard tea enjoyers that had their own little culture, while keeping the choices structured enough that you couldn't really go wrong
Looking back now - and thinking about how I'd do things differently - I know how upset people get when a favourite product gets discontinued. I'd envision every pre-made blend coming with a recipe card, so if it ever stopped being commercially viable, customers could recreate it themselves using the blend your own option.
It also solves a quieter problem - someone who loves a blend but can't tolerate one ingredient currently has no option. The recipe card plus blend your own gives them one.
Role: Lead Digital Designer — Personal Project
Skills: Visual Design, E-commerce UX, Brand Strategy, Design System Development
Skills: Visual Design, E-commerce UX, Brand Strategy, Design System Development
