AMABRU
Building a Brand World from Scratch
PROJECT TYPE
Branding / Creative Direction
FORMAT
Brand identity, Packaging, Launch Campaign
TIMELINE
Ongoing
ROLE
Creative Lead, Brand Strategist, Designer
DISCIPLINES
Branding, Packaging, Storytelling, Creative Direction
CHALLENGE
The unique challenge lays in the product itself: rooibos presented in the form of espresso, something unfamiliar to most consumers. This meant the brand positioning couldn’t stop at aesthetics—it had to introduce and educate while still inspiring curiosity and desire. The creative task was to craft a world where a new product could feel natural, exciting, and culturally relevant from day one.
IDEA
To present amabru not as a novelty but as a discovery—an elevated, authentic, and culturally rooted experience. The name and storytelling were designed to highlight rooibos’ heritage and health benefits while reframing it through the lens of modern rituals, like coffee culture. The visual identity would bridge familiarity (espresso cues) with originality (rooibos character).
EXECUTION
Developed the brand name, visual identity, and packaging, blending tradition with modernity.
Designed packaging that educates while enticing, making the unknown product feel instantly approachable.
Concepted creative campaigns to introduce rooibos espresso as a lifestyle choice, showing where it fits into daily rituals.
Researched cultural and consumer trends to identify market entry points—from wellness to slow-living to coffee-alternative movements.
Positioned amabru as a necessary answer to a cultural craving—a ritual people didn’t yet know they needed.
IMPACT
Launched amabru not just as a product, but as a pioneer of a new category in the beverage market.
Established a strong conceptual and strategic foundation for long-term growth.
Positioned rooibos espresso as part of larger cultural currents around wellness, mindfulness, and conscious consumption.
Built a consumer-facing narrative that transforms curiosity into adoption, creating both trust and desire.
Proved the role of creative direction as a bridge between design, storytelling, and market success.
CULTURAL RESONANCE
(Vision Phase)
Your daytime buzz, redefined — rooibos made ritual.
By reframing rooibos espresso as a ritual rather than a novelty, the brand carved out its own space in the wider conversation about wellness and lifestyle. What could have been dismissed as a quirky product instead became a story about culture, daily habits, and choice. The playful campaigns turned skepticism into curiosity, giving the project strong hooks for cafés, wellness communities, and even culture press.
