At Teavern, we pride ourselves on being mindful about every step in the process of our incredible teas, including the packaging design. Today we sit down with Olga Pylaieva, the designer of the packaging for Wild Kamairicha.
Teavern: Tell us about yourself, how did you get into art and design?
Olga: My parents are architects and I grew up in quite a creative family. I have a Masters degree in Architecture and Arts and I had been working about 5 years as an architect before I became graphic designer and illustrator. At the same time, I always wanted to try doing something that would not be so full of strict rules like architecture was. So I started illustrating! From the beginning I tried different styles - hand drawn graphics and watercolor, digital illustrations - I was looking for my own style and my niche. I created different kinds of artwork - for children's books, posters, websites. But I am a person very close to nature and I always get my inspiration from nature, so finally I figure out that depicting nature is my favourite part, it feels like meditation for me. So nowadays my main focus is packaging design and illustration for brands or collections somehow connected with nature - organic food and cosmetics, natural supplements, apparel with botanic motives.
Teavern: I think that closeness to nature really shines through in your work. What was your process for designing the label for Wild Kamairicha?
Olga: When I start working with a new brand, the first thing I have to do is to explore the brand as much as I can. The more I know, the better the design - the brand's philosophy, brand's credo, communications with a brand's owner all provides the direction to move with the design. After I have a full brief, I usually create several black and white line sketches and discuss them with the client, the same way we worked here. I wanted to show visually the calmness and the greatness of the natural tea plantations at the same time. For me, this illustration is saying: take a deep breath, relax and enjoy the journey in this absolutely beautiful place.
Teavern: It was a great joy working with someone who so deeply understood the vision. How did you know the design was done, or that you are done with a design in general?
Olga: It's just the feeling that I have nothing to add. I often work in the evenings but never make the final decision in the evening. I always let the design wait a bit until morning and give it a fresh eye. And, it's always better when a design has a note of innuendo instead of over-complication.
Teavern: Absolutely. Well thank you for your time Olga, where can our readers find you if they want to see more of your work?
Olga: I have my portfolio on Behance ( https://www.behance.net/fallinsummer ). For me, its the best place to show my works and to get inspiration from the works of other designers and illustrators.