Some of our Partners
CUSTOM RETAIL BAGS
This custom 12oz retail bag was created as a flagship packaging piece for my specialty coffee company, Iluminar Coffee. It is designed to capture the brand’s playful personality through bold illustration, expressive typography, and a fully custom back panel system. The bag balances vibrant color with clear informational hierarchy, creating packaging that stands out visually while remaining practical for customers. Every element was illustrated and built by hand in Adobe Illustrator, resulting in a one-of-a-kind packaging piece that brings Iluminar’s brand world to life.
Packaging Design • Brand Identity • 12oz Retail Bag Design • Dieline Preparation • Layout Design • Color System Development • Product Line Extension • Production-Ready File Preparation
Adobe Illustrator • Adobe Photoshop
Layout & Composition
Front panel centers on the brand’s character and logotype for maximum impact. Back panel uses a structured grid to organize educational content clearly
Side panel typography aligns vertically to maintain consistency across the entire package.Negative space used intentionally to balance illustration density with clean readability.
*grey represents transparency.
DESIGN CONCEPT
The concept was driven by Iluminar’s core belief in celebrating curiosity, joy, and approachability in specialty coffee. The illustrated sloth reaching upward became the central character, symbolizing exploration and the brand’s playful energy. Bright, saturated colors reflect the boldness of the brand, while organic shapes and hand-drawn textures communicate warmth and personality. The entire composition is designed to feel dynamic and inviting, creating a memorable experience for customers the moment they see the bag on a shelf or countertop.
Illustration & Character Design
Fully hand-drawn sloth emblem serves as the primary focal point. Dot-pattern textures, signature to the brand, and organic shapes reinforce Iluminar’s playful identity. Side panel illustration transitions seamlessly from the front design, wrapping the character and typography into a continuous graphic story.
Typography
Hand-refined logotype integrates with the illustration to create a cohesive visual lockup. Clean supporting type ensures legibility for product details and brand messaging. Hierarchy organizes storytelling, contact info, and processing notes across the back panel.
Color System
Bright yellow, deep blue, and aqua tones create an energetic palette unique to the flagship bag. High saturation helps differentiate the custom bag from the white-label system and shelf competitors. Consistent accent colors tie illustration, icons, and informational sections together.
COFFEE GLOSSARY
The coffee glossary on the back panel demonstrates my ability to communicate dense information within a limited space while maintaining clarity and visual appeal. Each icon, descriptor, and definition is strategically arranged to maximize available real estate without feeling crowded. The glossary not only organizes complex concepts into an intuitive, easy-to-scan system, but also reinforces Iluminar’s mission of being informative, accessible, and playful. By combining tight spatial planning with expressive illustration, the design turns educational content into an engaging brand experience.
The design turns the bag into both a storytelling tool and a practical reference for brewing, reinforcing the brand’s goal of being serious about coffee, not ourselves.
The system includes:
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Illustrated icons for processing methods (Washed, Honey, Natural)
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Flavor spectrum blocks with short, clear descriptors
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Fermentation callouts for experimental lots
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A structured brew guide using diagrams instead of text-heavy instructions
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Brand mission and contact information integrated into a clean, easy-to-read layout
LABELING SYSTEM
The Iluminar Coffee Label System was designed to support a constantly evolving lineup of coffees while maintaining strong brand cohesion. Built as a modular 2×3 inch format, the labels provide a flexible framework that can rapidly adapt to single origins, blends, microlots, and rotating releases. Each label uses bold color fields and a clean typographic hierarchy to communicate essential information clearly, whether displayed on retail shelves or paired with the brand’s white label wholesale bags. The system balances expressive color with structured organization, creating packaging that is both instantly recognizable and highly functional.
DESIGN CONCEPT
The concept for the label system was guided by clarity, scalability, and visual distinction. Each origin receives its own defined color palette, giving the lineup a vibrant, collectible quality while preserving consistency across the series. The structured vertical grid allows complex information—origin, farm, elevation, varietal, process, and tasting notes—to be presented in an intuitive, easy-to-scan layout.
This system-driven approach lets Iluminar maintain brand clarity across growing product lines, while still allowing each coffee to feel unique and intentional. The result is a label series that is systematic, efficient, and expressive, fully aligned with the brand’s playful yet modern identity
Modular Layout
Color System
Each color reflects the sensory profile, origin landscape, and emotional tone of the coffee. Brighter, floral lots use cool airy hues; structured washed coffees use grounded earth tones; citrus-leaning coffees use warm yellows and golds. Color becomes a tool for flavor storytelling, while helping customers visually navigate the lineup.
PERU DECAF — Soft Yellow
A gentle, low-saturation yellow reflects the calm, rounded nature of decaf. It feels lighter, quieter, and more delicate than the full-caf lineup — echoing the softer acidity and mellow sweetness of a Swiss Water–processed Peru. The color also signals approachability and comfort, mirroring notes of chocolate and orange.
HONDURAS — Soft Coral Pink
Coral reflects the sweetness-forward nature of this washed Honduras — especially the blueberry, pear, and brown sugar notes. It’s warm without being heavy, and the soft pink tone visually matches the round, sweet, fruit-forward profile characteristic of Copán coffees.
ECUADOR — Electric Magenta
A bold magenta matches the high-end, expressive, almost futuristic profile of a Sidra microlot. This varietal is known for tropical sparkle and high aromatics, so the neon-pink hue becomes a visual metaphor for intensity, rarity, and vibrance.
ETHIOPIA — Dusty Lavender
Lavender represents florality, elegance, and altitude — all core traits of a natural Ethiopian coffee from Guji. The color feels airy and perfumed, mirroring notes like honeysuckle and black tea. It visually leans toward the delicate, fragrant side of the spectrum.
GUATEMALA — Pale Sky Blue
This icy blue ties directly to Guatemala’s structured washed profiles — crisp, clean, and balanced. It’s grounded but refreshing, echoing chocolate/strawberry notes and high-altitude clarity. The slight gradient evokes cool mountain air from Huehuetenango.
NICARAGUA — Fresh Green
Green is ideal for a coffee with tropical acidity and fermentation-driven brightness. This Nicaraguan’s pineapple, lime, and green plum notes align perfectly with a color that feels fresh, juicy, and alive. It also subtly nods to the lush, forested landscapes of Jinotega.
