Starbucks Mooncakes have debuted a bold new graphic identity and packaging, thanks to Design Bridge Shanghai. The new design comes from the goal to build emotional connections with younger consumers across China.
The packaging uses a striking color palette, but remains culturally relevant and stood out during the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sept. 24.
“The Mid-Autumn festival is an annual harvest celebration centered around the moon and people coming together,” says Tom Gilbert, creative director at Design Bridge Shanghai. “Sharing mooncakes with your family and loved ones is an integral part of the festival, so it’s really important that your brand’s mooncakes stand out.”
The challenge for Design Bridge was to bring something new and exciting to the market that disrupted tradition, yet remained culturally relevant and true to the Starbucks brand, Gilbert said in a release.
Its familiarity with the Starbucks brand and Shanghai traditions helped Design Bridge to take risks with the design. Design Bridge used the Chinese saying, “the moon and the people are one,” to bring the moon and Starbucks together in one design.
The packaging itself features wood-cut designs, inspired by intricate hand-carved wooden mooncake molds. A menu card is inside each box and displays two halves together as one.
“Creating a design that combines the cultural sensitivity and bold design choices has enabled us to create a genuinely distinctive offer for Starbucks in China,” Gilbert continues. “Our design adds something truly unique to the tradition of sharing mooncakes during the Mid-Autumn festival and enables Starbucks to build deeper emotional connections with a younger group of consumers.”
The Starbucks Mooncakes is the first project launch from Design Bridge’s Shanghai studio.