PARU is my go-to shop for loose leaf tea in San Diego. Not only are they intentional about the quality of teas, but they bring special visibility to the farmers they source from. When Founder Amy and Creative Director Lani asked for designs to celebrate their fifth anniversary, I knew I needed to reflect that same level of intention and care. When you think of Asian teas, it’s easy to focus on East Asian sources like China and Japan. For their anniversary, PARU released a special collection of Southeast Asian teas, specifically from Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, and Laos. Amy and Lani wanted designs that would highlight Southeast Asia as a destination for high quality tea. The fact that all three of us share identities from these cultures made this project so special!

I was inspired by the simple elegance of vintage Asian food packaging and the bold, chunky motifs of linoprinted matchbox covers. I wanted to use the floral-inspired geometric motifs, but combine them with Southeast Asian influences.

Because PARU is often mistaken for a cafe rather than a shop, I wanted to give people the visual of a tea export company. I thought of a mythical boat journeying across oceans with teas as precious as the boat itself. The boat structure is a Butuan, a boat used by pre-colonial people in the Philippines. Its figurehead is the head of a Ky Lan, a Vietnamese unicorn-like creature symbolizing prestige, luck, and intelligence. The frame around the boat is surrounded by jasmine leaves and flowers and the gilded flourishes inspired by vintage labels.

Across the top of the design reads the tagline, “Offering interesting teas & merriment since 2017.” Lani and Amy’s tagline was created in an effort to take themselves less seriously, so using a typeface that brought whimsy and joy was important. In addition to crewnecks, we also printed tote bags and a sticker set.

PARU Team Unboxing

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Services Provided:

• Branding
• Custom illustration
• Merchandise Design

PARU ships nationwide. Check out their online shop for all your tea needs!