Tea or Coffee?

Its an easy choice for me. Tea at home and coffee when we go out. I have tried before to recreate a perfect cappuccino at home but never quite mastered it. I can get the right temperature and the correct consistency of froth or creme but I have never managed to get the right coffee beans yet. I have even bought ones form Starbucks and Costa but still it doesn't taste the same. So I end up spending a lot of time in Costa Coffee mainly which serves my favourite coffee.

But it isn't just a case of going to your favourite branded coffee house and expecting the same every time. I wish this was true but it is mainly dependant on the barista preparing your coffee that counts. Because a cup of coffee these days is quite expensive, you want it to be right. Just think how many times you have had a bad pint in a pub and asked for a replacement. Costa might be my favourite but I tend to go to the same branch because I very rarely get a bad coffee.

To relate this experience to design, I have always liked the Costa logo with the middle 'S' symbolising the steam emanating from a hot cup of coffee. It is a familiar comforting brand for me and is one of the few that I would like to remain the same. Recently, Slice Design, has designed some new packaging for  Costa which will be seen in supermarkets as well as their own stores. Thankfully they have stuck to the core brand guidelines and retained the logo and colour scheme. The director at Slice says that Costa is so well known and has such a recognisable set of equities you don't need to over complicate it.

Also featured on the pack is going to be a set of helpful guidelines on how to recreate the Costa coffee experience at home. I think in the next few days the coffee machine is going to be released from the confines of the cupboard and a bit of experimenting will be taking place. Although not too much as I do want to be able to sleep at night.