Matcha branding tends to follow a familiar formula. Vibrant greens dominate the palette, whisks mid-motion fill the frame, and the usual cast of bamboo, tea bowls and ceremonial gestures make their predictable appearance.
It often works, but it also means most matcha brands end up looking remarkably similar. When Other Studio began working with The Matcha Kyōto, Creative Director Samuel Gadd knew the path forward required restraint rather than decoration.
The Matcha Kyōto exists to share the story of traditional matcha cultivation and ceremony with contemporary audiences – a bridge between Uji’s centuries-old tea fields and modern appreciation for craft. The brief asked for an identity that honours this heritage whilst expressing modernity, something that felt “calm, timeless and rooted in Japanese tea traditions, yet shaped through a modern lens,” as Gadd describes it.
The challenge wasn’t just aesthetic. “We wanted to move away from the familiar visuals often seen in matcha and Japanese tea brands,” Gadd explains. He’s careful to note they’re not dismissing recent work in the category – there are beautiful matcha identities out there. But The Matcha Kyōto needed to feel different. “By avoiding these cues, the brand could feel more timeless and grounded in the feeling we wanted to create.”
That ‘feeling’ emerged from research that prioritised philosophy over technique. Rather than studying the mechanics of tea-making, Other Studio delved into the principles beneath the process. “We looked into the history of Uji’s matcha-growing region, but rather than studying the tea-making techniques, we drew from the philosophy behind the process – patience, precision and respect for craft,” Gadd shares. This distinction shaped everything that followed.
Colour became the first decisive move. Rather than let green dominate, the palette draws from the material qualities woven through Japanese culture – the warm white of washi paper, the natural linen tone of shōji screens, the depth of black ink. “We didn’t want green to take centre stage – it’s everywhere in matcha branding and felt like the obvious route,” notes Gadd. “Instead, we created a palette that carries stillness and draws from the simple material qualities found in Japanese culture and everyday life.” Two subtle greens appear, but only as supporting elements. This inversion shifts the entire visual language away from product photography toward something more contemplative. The tones are natural and muted, chosen to evoke calm rather than vibrancy, allowing textures and typography to stand out.
The typography system carries this same balance of structure and ease. PP Fraktion Mono and Sans, both from Pangram Pangram, felt like a natural pairing. “They had the right character and lightness to fit the vision for the brand,” Gadd explains. The monospaced form of Fraktion Mono brings order and structure, whilst Fraktion Sans provides clear readability for longer passages, helping carry the brand’s storytelling. Together they reflect the balance at the heart of The Matcha Kyōto’s identity. The Kanji font required its own research. Other Studio spent time exploring Japanese design and Kanji typefaces that would work alongside PP Fraktion, ensuring the visual language felt culturally grounded rather than merely decorative. The selected typeface introduces a softer, more rounded quality that doesn’t directly match the Latin characters but finds harmony through subtle proportional similarities.
Unlike many contemporary identities built on rigid grids, the wordmark prioritises flexibility over fixed geometry. “The wordmark wasn’t built on a strict grid,” Gadd explains. “It was designed to feel adaptable across different uses, with the supporting Kanji characters helping to create balance and composition.” This system shifts between English and Japanese, horizontal and vertical formats, adapting to context whilst maintaining consistency and clarity. It’s an approach that reflects how the brand itself needs to move – between languages, between traditional and modern contexts, between ceremonial heritage and everyday use.
Photography and art direction focus on the ritual itself rather than the product. “The art direction focuses on preparing matcha – the peaceful surroundings, the textures of natural materials, and the quiet rhythm of the process,” Gadd describes. Soft natural light catches stone surfaces, gentle shadows define simple forms, minimal compositions create breathing room. Every element was considered to reflect the same care and attention found in the ritual itself.
The packaging extends this tactility through carefully chosen materials. Textured, uncoated stocks mirror the raw, organic qualities of stone-ground matcha. Subtle grain, soft shadows and fine lines create a surface quality meant to be felt as much as seen. “Each element of the identity was considered to evoke a sense of calm, craft and connection,” says Gadd. It’s a continuation of the brand’s visual language in physical form.
Founder Feifei Li describes the collaboration as transformative. “Samuel fully immersed himself in our company’s philosophy, striving to distill the most authentic and distinctive expression of our brand – without falling into the clichés that so many matcha brands succumb to,” Li shares. The founder notes how Gadd approaches each project “with patience and care, nurturing every design detail with such precision it’s almost breathtaking.” The chosen typeface, the tactile qualities, the overall design language all express heritage, classicism and cleanliness – qualities that, like matcha-making itself, will remain timeless.
All images © of their respective owners.
Content taken from Other Studio
