Taiao
Taiao is a branding project I worked on to help expand my understanding of color theory. Taking the three levels of saturation – prismatic, muted, and chromatic grey – I used them to create a branding that promoted a sense of calmness and elegance.
Taiao is a coffee shop located in Wellington, New Zealand – a location known for its coffee culture. Taiao is the Māori word for nature and uses elements from the native culture to create a sense of grounding.
Visual Brand Identity
@November 2025
Taiao's logo was designed with cultural intention in mind. I spent weeks researching elemental designs that are often found in Māori art. Through my research, I was intrigued by this teardrop shape that often appeared. Taking this shape, I created one that resembles blooming flower buds. This design aligns with the brand concept's intention because it's meant to feel new and fresh.
After completing the elemental part of the logo, I spent time looking for a typeface that would pair well with this design. I landed on ‘Agraham’, a unique serif typeface. I then thought of putting the elemental design as the point of the “i” and found that I had finally completed the design nicely.
LOGO DESIGN CONCEPT
Taiao’s color palette was created with three levels of saturation in mind – chromatic grey, muted, and prismatic. I was tasked with creating a project that used these colors to form a hierarchy within the branding. I found that using a chromatic grey as the background helped show that this color is often overlooked in color theory. Then, the muted blue I chose was used to convey information that wasn’t seen as important or desired, to draw the reader’s attention right away. Finally, the prismatic blue was used to highlight important information on the branding applications.
BRAND COLOR
