Tramways Coffee

Tramways is a speciality coffee brand in India that is out to change the perception of craft coffee as prescriptive and intimidating. Founded by firm believers of coffee being savoured however ones likes, Tramways is a line of transportive coffees that lets people enjoy coffee at their own pace. The visuals were created to echo the experience of savouring a cup of coffee inspired by the brand’s tagline of “pause to brew, brew to pause.”

A two-colour approach was used, with the paper’s base providing the third colour. The two brand colours, yellow and blue symbolise the colours often seen in Calcutta trams, the namesake and the origin city of the brand.

Rather than going into the origin and complex flavours, the world of craft coffee was simplified by focussing on the outer coffee wheel of nine major flavours: citrus, smoky, nutty etcetera. Unlike instant coffee where the communication revolves around energy and the fast pace of life, emphasis was placed on slowing down and enjoying the process of making as much as drinking.

The packaging features two major illustrations, both of which are surreal and whimsical. These embody the worlds that coffee has the power to transport users to.

All Round Gothic is used for the logo and tagline, and smaller body copy is set in FF Basic Gothic. The typeface selection aims to compliment the thin lines of the artwork with a rounded, slightly nostalgic letterforms to match the idea of the old trams and harken to a slow-paced life.

Each coffee variant is also depicted via a sticker with important information about roasting, flavour, and batch. Taking customisation one step further, another sticker with an icon of the brewing method completes the packaging and makes it even more personalised.