At present, tea packaging design shows a trend of diversification and innovation in brand, color, material and technology, while consumer preferences are gradually tilted towards environmental protection, cultural connotation and personalization.
Brand design: Tea brands are increasingly focusing on the transfer of cultural values and brand tonality through packaging. Traditional elements such as calligraphy, landscape painting and regional symbols are widely integrated into the design to strengthen cultural identity, while emerging brands tend to be minimalist or artistic co-branded to attract young consumers, such as working with artists to launch limited-edition packaging79. Brand logos enhance recognition through unique fonts and iconic patterns, and some high-end brands also enhance trust through intelligent packaging technologies (such as QR code traceability systems) 8.
color application: the choice of color is closely related to the category of tea. for example, green tea is mostly used to convey the sense of naturalness, while black tea prefers warm red or golden color to highlight mellow, while black tea tends to dark brown or matte color to show aging characteristics 19. In recent years, consumers prefer low saturation or blank design, reflecting the simple and high-level sense 7.
Material and technology: environmental protection materials become the mainstream, biodegradable cardboard, bamboo fiber and recycled plastics accounted for a significant increase, in line with consumer demand for sustainable development 28. In terms of technology, traditional lacquer carving, bronzing and other techniques are combined with modern technologies, such as laser engraving and three-dimensional embossing to enhance texture; structural design focuses on practicality, such as easy-to-pull sealing, grid storage and other functions to optimize user experience14. The high-end market uses metal cans, ceramics and other materials, combined with manual technology to highlight the collection value of 6.
Consumer preferences: Research shows that consumers are most concerned about environmental protection (72%), aesthetics (65%) and functionality (58%) of packaging. Young people prefer personalized customization and small-size portable packaging, while the gift market tends to high-end gift boxes and cultural narrative design38. In addition, the transparent visual window design is popular because it can visually display the quality of tea leaves 4.
In summary, tea packaging is through the integration of traditional aesthetics and modern technology, balance function and aesthetics, while the concept of environmental protection as the core, to meet the multiple needs of consumers for quality, culture and sustainability.