Starbucks Mate
Concept Project
2023
Starbucks Mate is a concept product: an energy drink made from Yerba Mate, the South American plant traditionally consumed as a hot infusion. The brief was to develop a new product identity that felt unmistakably Starbucks while standing out on shelf.
Branding
Illustration
Packaging
The challenge
Yerba Mate is deeply rooted in South American culture, so the packaging of the drink needed to feel authentic, celebrating culture not appropriating it. At the same time, it had to live within Starbucks' existing brand world and compete visually with the energy drink market, where boldness is everything.
What I did
I researched similar products, Starbucks' existing design language, and historical botanical illustrations of the Yerba Mate plant. From there I developed a colour palette pairing Starbucks' signature green with bold yellow and orange, two energetic colours that signal the drink's function without losing the brand's warmth.
The typography is set in Koulen, bold and impactful, combined with hand-drawn illustrations and textures that bring the plant's origin story into the packaging.
What I delivered
Full product identity concept including label design, colour palette, typography system, and brand graphics, ready for shelf and digital use.
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Wanda Raitelli © 2026
