Uncle Jeff Kombucha is a brand of sparkling, fermented tea
(kombucha) founded by Jeff Lau during the pandemic. The brand
focuses on creating delicious and affordable kombucha in Malaysia
using 100% locally-sourced ingredients and pure fruits and spices
with no artificial flavorings.
The existing label, while unique, presents an opportunity for a
professional and commercially appealing redesign to help the
product better compete and communicate its artisanal, local, and
premium qualities in the modern beverage market.
Target Market
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Primary Target Audience (Based on Brand Context):
Health-conscious individuals and foodies in Malaysia who
appreciate local, artisanal, high-quality, and unique
food/drink products. They are likely interested in supporting
local businesses.
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Secondary Target: Consumers seeking healthier, low-sugar
alternatives to sodas and other processed drinks.
Label Design Requirements
Based on the lecture, includes necessary information on the
label
Deliverables
1. Design Rationale (Report): A 1–2 page document detailing:
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The chosen visual direction (e.g., Rustic Traditional, Modern
Minimalist, Vibrant Malaysian Pop).
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Justification for the colors, typography, and imagery used to
convey the local, artisanal identity.
2. Visual Mock-up: A high-resolution digital image showing the new
label wrapped realistically around the large brown bottle and
physical mock-up.
3. Label Die-Line/Flat File: A to-scale visual design of the label
showing all text, graphics, and the exact cutting shape.
PROJECT 1
Preliminary Research: Existing Uncle Jeff Brand
fig 1.1 uncle Jeff social media
Before starting the redesign, I researched Uncle Jeff Kombucha’s existing brand identity through its social media visuals, product photos, original packaging, store display, and promotional posts. From the research, I observed that Uncle Jeff Kombucha presents itself as a fun, youthful, and locally inspired Malaysian beverage brand. The brand often uses bright colours, playful illustrations, cartoon characters, and casual captions to make the product feel friendly and approachable.
The social media posts also show that the brand focuses strongly on Malaysian flavours and local ingredients. For example, the brand highlights different flavours inspired by local fruits, tea, herbs, and regional taste culture. This shows that Uncle Jeff Kombucha is not only selling kombucha, but also promoting a “Taste of Malaysia” experience through its product range.
Visual Style Analysis
The existing visual style is very playful and colourful. The brand uses cartoon-style illustrations, hand-drawn characters, bold background colours, and fun compositions in its posts and labels. This gives the brand a cheerful and casual personality, which can attract younger consumers and make kombucha feel less serious or intimidating.
The brand’s visuals also feel handmade and personal. The illustrations make the product look friendly and small-batch, which matches the story of Uncle Jeff Kombucha being a local artisanal drink brand. The brown glass bottle also supports the natural and fermented drink identity.
fig 1.2 uncle Jeff visual label
Strengths of the Existing Brand
- The brand has a strong local Malaysian identity.
- The flavour range is unique and connected to local ingredients.
- The cartoon illustrations make the brand feel friendly and memorable.
- The bright colours help the product stand out visually.
- The tone of voice is casual, humorous, and easy to understand.
- The brand feels handmade and personal, which supports its artisanal image.
- The product photography and social media posts show a strong lifestyle connection with food, travel, and local culture.
Weaknesses of the Existing Brand
- The original label looks quite busy because there are many illustration elements in a small space.
- The typography is not very systematic, which makes the hierarchy less clear.
- Important product information is not very readable from a distance.
- The playful design style may make the product look less premium.
- The current packaging does not strongly communicate the health-conscious and artisanal qualities of kombucha.
- The visual identity changes across different posts and flavours, so the branding can feel less consistent.
- The product label could be improved with a cleaner layout, clearer information structure, and more refined visual direction.
Design Opportunity
Based on the research, I found that Uncle Jeff Kombucha already has a strong local and playful identity. However, the packaging can be improved to look more organized, natural, and premium. The original design is memorable, but the information hierarchy and readability can be clearer.
Therefore, there is an opportunity to redesign the label in a way that keeps the Malaysian flavour identity while making the product look more professional and commercially appealing. The new design should still feel local and handmade, but it should also communicate the natural, artisana
Project 1 Process
For this project, I am redesigning the label for Uncle Jeff Kombucha, a Malaysian kombucha brand founded by Jeff Lau during the
pandemic. The brand makes sparkling fermented tea using locally
sourced ingredients, real fruits, and spices, with no artificial
flavourings.
fig 1.3 Flavor chosen
The flavour I chose is Calamansi Asam Boi. I chose this
flavour because it feels very local and familiar in Malaysia.
Calamansi gives a fresh and sour citrus taste, while asam boi
adds a sweet, salty, and nostalgic flavour.
This flavour is suitable for kombucha because kombucha already
has a slightly sour and refreshing taste.
Target Market
The main target audience is health-conscious people and food
lovers in Malaysia. These customers may enjoy local, handmade,
and high-quality food or drink products. They may also prefer
supporting small local businesses.
The secondary target audience is people who want a healthier
alternative to soft drinks. Since kombucha is sparkling and
refreshing, it can appeal to customers who want something fizzy
but less processed than normal soda.
Mood Board
fig 1.4 Mood-board
For my mood board, I collected references from beverage labels,
fruit packaging, kombucha bottles, jam labels, and
handmade-style product designs. I focused on packaging that
looks natural, fresh, and artisanal.
Many of the references use fruit illustrations, simple label
layouts, and warm colours. I also looked at labels that wrap
around bottles clearly, because the final design needs to work
as a real product label.
Color Palette
fig 1.5 Color Palette
The color palette uses cream, dark green, brown, orange, and muted red. Cream is used as the main background color to create a
natural paper texture and artisanal feeling. Dark green
represents leaves, freshness, health, and natural ingredients.
Orange is used to show the calamansi citrus flavour and make
the label feel bright and refreshing. Brown connects with tea,
fermentation, and the brown glass bottle, while the muted red
reflects the asam boi ingredient.
Typography
fig 1.6 headline
For typography, I used a bold curved type treatment for the
word “Kombucha” to make the product name stand out
clearly from a distance.
fig 1.7 flavour name
The serif typeface used
for “Calamansi Asam Boi” gives the label a more
premium and crafted appearance.
fig 1.8 information text
For the smaller information
text, I used Futura Std because it is clean,
modern, and easy to read. This helps important details such
as the ingredients, nutrition facts, and storage
instructions remain clear and understandable for consumers.
Imagery
The imagery focuses on detailed botanical illustrations of
calamansi, leaves, flowers, and asam boi. This illustration
style helps communicate natural ingredients, local flavour,
and handmade quality. The central fruit illustration also
creates a strong focal point and makes the flavour immediately
recognisable. The rounded die-cut shape at the top gives the
label a more unique and premium appearance compared to a
standard rectangular label.
fig 1.9 sketches
I tried to sketch the main illustration for the Calamansi Asam Boi flavour. I focused on placing the calamansi and asam boi in the centre so the flavour could become the main visual focus of the label.
Label Information Included
The final label includes the necessary packaging information
such as:
- Brand name: Uncle Jeff Kombucha
- Product type: Kombucha
- Flavour: Calamansi Asam Boi
- Net volume: 300 ml
- Ingredients list
- Nutrition information
- Storage instructions
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Product claims: No artificial flavors, 100% natural, live
cultures
- QR code
- Barcode
- Expiry date
- Country of origin: Made in Malaysia
- Contact number, social media, and website
bottle label size: height 9.5cm × width 18.5cm
fig 2.0 first layout
I arranged the label into three main sections: product information on the left, the main brand and flavour illustration in the centre, and storage/contact details on the right.
fig 2.1 pattern
I used the Pen Tool to create small graphic icons for the storage section. These icons were added to make the storage instructions more visual and easier to separate from the paragraph text.
fig 2.2 add glowing edges
I added a rough pastels texture to the background to create a slightly vintage feeling. This texture also makes the label look less flat and gives it a warmer handmade appearance.
fig 2.3 adjust layout
Based on the first version, I rearranged the layout to make both sides look more balanced. I adjusted the alignment and spacing so the information looked more organized and systematic.
fig 2.4 overall presentation
fig 2.5 final bottle label
This is the final wrap-around label design for Uncle Jeff Kombucha. The design highlights the Calamansi Asam Boi flavour through botanical illustration, warm colours, and clear product information.
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