Travis Cumbest Travis Cumbest
Three different shades of brown colored coffee bean bags with the logo of an elephant holding a small cup in his trunk curled up to his head.
A mock up of a brown book floating on a green background with the Sang Pa logo on the front of it.
A mock up of an open book on a green background showing a map of the eastern US. The map is marked with future franchise locations for Sang Pa Coffee Company, including Chicago, New York, and Washington DC.
A mock up of an open book with a photo of a shirtless child riding a horned ox through a shallow river, followed by a shirtless man in a wide brimmed hat.
Image of various branding marks for Sang Pa Coffee Company. The main one is an illustration of an elephant with a coffee cup on his trunk. The patterns include repeated elements of geometrically symmetrical marks similar to Laotian upholstery patterns.

Sang Pa - Arabica Coffee

Branding, Print, Production

There once was a mighty and powerful king who ruled the lands of the South Eastern peninsula of Asia, and his name was Fa Ngum. As he traversed the mountainous areas he called home, he passed over a hill and gazed at a vast stretch of land filled with hordes of giant, beautiful, powerful, grazing elephants.

He decided then to make this place the capitol of his new kingdom, and they called it Lan Xang or “Land of a Million Elephants.”

In honor of this culturally rich country, I have based this project on the country of what is today referred to as Laos. It borders Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar (Burma), and China. Its fertile peninsula and humid climate make it perfect for growing amazing coffee.

For the coffee bag designs, I used a canvas sack to create an authentic and rustic texture. On top of the texture, a large secondary water mark of the elephant illustration can be seen. I placed the pattern on both sides of the bag to help express the feeling the culture gives off and to also fill the empty space.

A strip of the pattern was placed at the bottom of the bag to not only give the design weight, but to also bring attention to the label that holds the important information such as coffee type, brew, and weight. The logo is placed in the center, and the square design contrasts with the natural illustration, giving the logo a more modern appeal.

The type of coffee is then placed vertically next to the logo. The menu follows similar rules about gravity, texture, and contrast as the bag designs. The menu is full of not only different types of brewed coffee that are made from these Laos coffee beans, but it is also filled with a few authentic and delicious Laotian dishes.

As a continuation of the Sang Pa Coffee Company, I also designed this look book, which is intended to give off the feeling of what the Sang Pa company is all about. It includes images and scenes from Laos, map designs, my coffee packaging designs, facts about Laos, and more.

With a country as culturally rich and beautiful as Laos, it’s really fun to show the research that went into the project itself and explain why I did what I did with certain aspects of my branding.

This project won a Silver Addy Award in 2021.