Crafting a modern matcha brand that gives time back to people
CHALLENGE
In a world obsessed with speed and efficiency, matcha has often been positioned through wellness clichés or energetic promises. TOKI set out to make time itself the product.
From the beginning, the brief was clear: create a brand that treats matcha not as a functional drink but as an invitation — a pause, a moment, a reconsideration of pace. Rather than shouting about benefits or effects, the brand needed to reflect a contemplative sensibility: slow mornings, focused afternoons, and meaningful pauses in a distracted world.
The challenge wasn’t simply to design a logo or packaging, but to uncover a cultural niche that feels both timeless and contemporary — one that treats matcha as a ritual rather than a trend.
CONCEPT
For most people, a drink on the go is just another item checked off a to-do list. TOKI flips that assumption. Instead of rushing through consumption, it frames matcha as a moment worth slowing down for.
Matcha becomes less about energy and more about presence. It celebrates the notion that slowing down is not a loss of productivity, but an intentional way to enhance clarity and focus. The concept revolves around the idea that time taken is time earned — that a matcha moment can be a purposeful pause in a noisy life.
This conceptual framework informed every creative decision: typography that breathes, copy that feels like an observation instead of a claim, and visuals that show quiet moments instead of active hustle.
TOKI'S UNIVERSE
To give TOKI a visual world as thoughtful as its philosophy, a typographic-first approach was chosen. Statements like “TIME TAKEN, NOT RUSHED” and “MATCHA WORTH WAITING FOR” were developed as verbal anchor points — not slogans, but design-forward observations that double as editorial posters and social content.
These phrases become part of the brand’s rhythm: bold, minimalist, and poetic. They appear in large stacked typography, often balanced against matcha imagery that feels like a quiet photograph rather than an advertisement.
The visual identity avoids packed layouts and heavy messaging, instead opting for negative space, clear hierarchy, and deliberate composition — all to reinforce the idea of breath and pause.