Mother Bucha
CBD Infused Kombucha Bar
Student Work
Go with your gut! Mother Bucha is a theoretical CBD infused kombucha bar that I created as my capstone project. Adding CBD along with the health benefits kombucha already carries, this brand focuses on whole body wellness and the bar caters to individuals who may not be able to participate at a normal bar, specifically for health reasons. I wanted Mother Bucha to be a health-conscious option consumers actively chose, not settled for.
This brand included bar wayfinding like open/close signage and wall menu, but also four different brew flavors with 4pack boxes and can labels for each, hand-held menus, a kombucha starter kit, bar coasters, tote bag, website, social media, and a hand-made typeface for the primary brand type.
Style Guide
The branding of Mother Bucha draws inspiration from kombucha’s brewing history, particularly its surge in popularity during the 1960s-70s post-WWII. Influenced by artists such as John Alcorn, Victor Moscoso, Bob Masse, and Wes Wilson, I aimed for a psychedelic style, incorporating CBD. The name ‘Mother’ refers to the bacteria colony used in kombucha brewing, represented by a female illustration serving as the brand mascot. The logo’s container shape and funky, organic letterforms mirror the design trends of that era, symbolizing the scoby in kombucha. ‘Bucha’ in the name signifies this as a non-alcoholic bar.
Initial sketches and digital translations for the logo, typeface, and can labels
Typeface
After experimenting with already existing typefaces, none of them fit the shape of my logo and were either too structured or illegible.
I started experimenting with my own type to fit into the shape of my logo, which then expanded into a full alphabet so I could use it as the header type on all my collateral pieces.
Packaging
For my 4-pack packaging and can label design, I wanted to use my ‘mother’ illustration as a mascot, but in my research, I learned that a brand mascot used over and over often gets redundant and quickly ignored by the public. With this knowledge, I changed her hair color on each 4-pack box and label to correlate with the flavor to make her appear fresh every time.
Starter Kit
Home brewing is a big part of kombucha, so I wanted to have starter kits with the culture and tea so consumers could also brew their own. I wanted all the packaging you buy as point-of-purchase in retail to have my female mascot on them, so this packaging also features my ‘Mother’ like the labels and boxes.
I used a vinyl pouch that can be re-zipped with every use, as one brewing kit can be used for many rounds of kombucha and will be easy for storage.
Gallery
For my capstone gallery, I set up a realistic 70s psychedelic bar. Along with featuring all my printed collateral like my can labels, 4pack boxes, and starter kits, I added in some classic bar elements like vintage glasses, a bar mixer, and even a disco ball that added brand personality as it reflected on my pieces.
