Client: Tazo Tea

In a category where English tradition and clipper ships defined most brands, Tazo redefined tea as a symbol of a “new” movement: health and wellness. The category followed. Sandstrom Partners’ idea was to create a visual and verbal language that borrowed from ancient Eastern medicine, rooting the brand in the emerging movement.

Borrowing and mixing imagery and lore from the great tea cultures, we suggested Tazo and its artifacts were evidence of a great, ancient tea civilization. By using ancient imagery in a modern way, Tazo “floated time,” suggesting both old and new at the same time, lending it unique authenticity and credibility.

Sandstrom was instrumental in the entire Tazo brand, from the name and packaging to product designs like tea infusers and stackable packaging, even sales materials that felt more like relics than typical sales sheets. Second-hand shops and eBay still turn up Tazo’s iconic sales ephemera.

Tazo was originally created by tea master Steven Smith and later acquired by Starbucks.