Kahlúa

Kahlúa, the Mexican pioneer of coffee liquor, recognizes the importance of moving with the times. Striving for long-term success, the popular brand embarked on a mission to attract the next generation of Kahlúa drinkers – the Fun Neighborhood Crew. Realizing that a packaging redesign was key to recruiting millennials, Kahlúa sought graphics that would reflect its quirky, unique personality while ensuring its Mexican heritage was clearly conveyed. Recognized globally, the world’s the stage for this well-loved brand. The design needed to communicate consistently from a global level while incorporating regional nuances across the US, Canada, the UK and Asia.

Our brief was straightforward… design ideas should be fun and delicious! To grasp how to best convey taste, we delved into the world of chocolate, mint, vanilla and salted caramel across several flavorful categories. We also poured over alcohol brands and of course explored the world of Mexican culture to draw creative inspiration. We kept the target market (males and females from legal drinking age to around 34 years old) in mind along with global limitations.

We were captivated by intricate Mexican textiles. This discovery sparked our idea to create unique patterns for each of the four flavors. This serves as a visual reference to the culture while allowing for easy identification between flavor varieties. The motifs mix embellishments with iconography which fittingly evokes each flavor profile. Our design features lively colors, paying homage to Mexican heritage and hinting at the playful spirit of the drink. Cheers!