ABOUT

After leaving the corporate world to pursue his true passion, Founder Jens de Gruyter tapped me to create the brand identity, typography and standards for Paper & Tea. Following his minimalist vision for an artisanal tea merchant label, I took inspiration from silver hallmarks for the logo symbol. To add a distinct personality, I experimented with folded paper to design the logotype script. In both, the ampersand provided the opportunity for a signature icon. After several months of development, Paper & Tea launched with an award-winning flagship store in Charlottenberg, Berlin, followed by a boutique in Mitte, Berlin. Paper & Tea has since expanded to 36 retail stores and an ecommerce shop with annual revenue near €48M, but the branding and typography has endured and scaled, unchanged, without the need for awkward and costly rebranding. I consider this, more than any award, the evidence of a well-crafted brand.