Award-Nominated Pack Strategy for Yorkshire Tea Iced Tea
Yorkshire Tea, an iconic British hot tea brand, wanted to make a bold move into the iced tea category. They needed to develop a proposition that would help Yorkshire Tea show up authentically in this new space, while retaining the emotional meaning of its beloved brand assets.
Using Sensory Semiotics™, we decoded the iced tea category to uncover the cultural and sensory codes shaping consumer expectations. This wasn’t just about design - it was about understanding how iced tea fits into the broader cold drinks world and how Yorkshire Tea could credibly enter it.
We combined semiotic analysis with consumer validation to identify the sensory cues that communicate a light, refreshing drink experience, advise on product recipe, pack format and design principles to deliver those cues, and explore how Yorkshire Tea’s distinctive brand assets could flex for cold occasions without losing their essence.
We delivered consumer-validated strategic direction that informed product, pack and design decisions. Beyond answering design questions, this work unlocked strategic clarity by:
- Defining how the sensory experience of the liquid should be portrayed visually and structurally
- Recommending pack format and aesthetic cues (e.g., size of pack, brightness of colors) to signal refreshment
- Preserving emotional meaning of iconic brand assets while adapting them for cold cues
- Equipping teams with actionable principles that bridge recipe, pack and design for maximum impact
The result? A strategy that inspires creativity, aligns stakeholders and sets Yorkshire Tea up for success in a competitive, fast-evolving category.
The client’s cross-functional team gained a deeper understanding of how to communicate the light, refreshing nature of the drink across product and pack. Using Sensory Semiotics™ provided actionable guidance that bridges sensory insight with cultural codes, significantly boosting confidence in the innovation journey.