MOTHER PEARL

Short List
TitleMOTHER PEARL
BrandMOTHER PEARL
Product / ServiceVEGAN BUBBLE TEA
CategoryA01. Creation of a new Brand Identity
EntrantA Work of Substance Sheung Wan, HONG KONG
Idea Creation A Work of Substance Sheung Wan, HONG KONG
PR A Work of Substance Sheung Wan, HONG KONG

Credits

Name Company Position
Maxime Dautresme A Work of Substance Founder and Creative Director

Background

Created in Taiwan in the 1980s, bubble tea gained popularity in Asia and gradually became a global phenomenon. The Asian bubble tea market is overly saturated by sugary, unhealthy concoctions. With an opportunity to revolutionise the traditional bubble tea landscape in Asia, the challenge was to create an entirely new brand identity and interior design for a vegan bubble tea brand, a pioneering advocate for healthy teahouses in Hong Kong. Unlike other bubble tea shops in the city, Mother Pearl takes a root-to-stem approach to minimise food waste and offers nutritious drinks that are designed to fuel everybody. With a limited budget, we utilised raw and natural materials and created a memorable identity for the brand’s 350-square-foot flagship store, whilst staying in line with the simplicity of the consumer experience.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

When sipping bubble tea, the spring-loaded pearls of tapioca instantly demands our attention. Confronted by the unapologetic chew of the pearls, we unconsciously transcend into a state of unexpected satisfaction. From the cloud of pearl-shaped lights floating above, to the dark olive green facade that opens a portal to a mystical universe, Mother Pearl expresses dimension through its organic materiality, drawing the consumer deeper into the sweetness of the present.  We also considered the location of the store, especially its surrounding urban and bustling environment, and posited the space as a portal that allows visitors to reflect and to take a pause in between the hustle and bustle. Driven by asian heritage ingredients, Mother Pearl’s brand identity had to embody the brand’s positioning as thoughtful, eco-conscious and innovative, while conveying the brand’s vision of providing a cleaner, more sustainable beverage option for today’s savviest of consumers.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

During our research, we recognised that bubble tea drinkers drew an immense amount of delight and happiness from bubble tea. Unlike coffee, there is an element of surprise and an expected reaction based on the interactions with the wide variety of drink choices. For many, drinking bubble tea is an indulging ritual, a momentary escape from the world. To highlight the beauty of the craft and processes that make this bubble tea drinking different, our approach was to create a simple and memorable brand identity system that resonates with our client’s ambition to scale globally. Serving as a vessel for the delightful sensations that emerge, the icon’s negative space evolves with seasonal and flavour changes. The humanist sans-serif in the logotype reflects Mother Pearl’s handcrafted teas, mimicking the imperfect nature of human process in the contrast of its strokes and counters. 

List the results (20% of vote)

Located in the heart of Central, Hong Kong, the flagship store has caught a lot of attention from media, influencers and consumers. The overwhelming response has led to a lot of positive reviews online about the striking interior and branding design, which in turn helped boost the brand’s prominence amongst food bloggers and bubble tea fanatics in Hong Kong. After seeing the project, the client furthered their desire of scaling and was able to understand how the brand can evolve in the future. Within the brief five months since the brand’s official launch, Mother Pearl has already collaborated with luxury and iconic brands, such as Berluti and The Murray Hotel in Hong Kong. Our ability to execute a project within budget and space shows us how to build brands that are simple, memorable, and scalable in the future.