TEAWATER RUM
PROJECT TYPE
SPORTS BRANDING
SCOPE
BRANDING
LOGO DESIGN
PACKAGING DESIGN
INSTRUCTOR
JASON KERNEVICH
Tea Water is a premium Guyanese Rum brand built on cultural sovereignty, designed to reframe Demerara rum as a symbol of national identity, heritage, and sophistication. Inspired by the tea-colored rivers of Guyana—darkened by tannins from rainforest foliage, the brand draws a direct connection between the land and product. Positioned within the legacy of Demerara rum, Tea Water builds upon centuries of craft shaped by colonial history, agricultural production, and the preservation of rare heritage stills. Through this project, rum becomes more than a fancy package. It becomes a vessel for storytelling, representing the depth, complexity, and resilience of Guyanese culture.
Designed as a comprehensive branding and packaging system, the project explores how visual identity can communicate authenticity and create a sense of cultural pride. From custom bottle forms and detailed label systems to specialty cases and canned cocktails, each component works together to express a balance of heritage and modern refinement. Beyond its technical goals, Tea Water also serves as a personal exploration of identity as an opportunity to learn more about my Guyanese background and translate that understanding into a cohesive, shareable experience. The result is a brand that not only introduces Guyanese rum to a wider audience, but also invites people to engage with the culture, history, and meaning behind it.
PROCESS
This project was driven by a focus on packaging as both a technical and storytelling challenge. I set out to create a fully realized system that balanced intricate detail with clarity, using typography, material, and form to communicate heritage and quality. After exploring premade mockups and 3D modeling, I found those approaches limited the level of control needed for a custom result. I ultimately developed a hybrid workflow combining detailed sketching, AI-assisted image generation, and refinement in Photoshop, allowing me to achieve highly specific renderings, embossing, and label detailing while maintaining visual precision across the system.
CUSTOM BOTTLES AND LABELS
The bottles are designed as a cohesive series, using a custom hexagonal form that balances sharp structure with refined curvature. Each bottle features an embossed emblem, a minimal base label with gold detailing, and a neck wrap that integrates the brand’s flowing typographic pattern. The label system highlights the Geographical Indications of Demerara rum: Cask Aged, Special Reserve, and Grand Special Reserve, while the back label provides context through a condensed history of Guyanese rum-making. Together, the bottles emphasize clarity, heritage, and a sense of elevated restraint.
SPECIALTY CASES
To reflect the significance of the aging process, the 12-year and 25-year bottles are paired with custom-designed cases that extend the brand into a physical experience. The Special Reserve case features a structured folding form with a magnetic closure, gold detailing, and a fitted interior, while the Grand Special Reserve case is crafted from purpleheart wood, referencing material traditions tied to the region. Both cases incorporate embossed typography, map textures, and interior messaging, creating a more intentional moment of interaction that encourages the user to slow down and engage with the product.
CANNED COCKTAILS
Expanding beyond traditional spirits, Tea Water introduces a line of canned cocktails designed to translate the brand into a more accessible format. Featuring Rum Punch, Mojito, and Rum & Cola, each drink draws from familiar Caribbean flavors while maintaining the visual language of the core brand. The cans use bold color, typographic pattern, and simplified iconography to create a system that feels cohesive yet distinct, offering a modern, ready-to-drink extension without losing the sense of heritage and craft.
BRANDED COLLATERAL
The brand system extends into a small collection of physical objects designed to support the drinking experience. Purpleheart wood coasters and embossed glassware carry forward the material and visual language established in the packaging, reinforcing the connection between product and environment. These elements help position Tea Water not just as a product, but as a complete experience rooted in culture, ritual, and shared moments.
