Nathan defined the brand's direction, positioning Pepe Mate around a target that already loved discovering new drinks, kombucha, craft beer, artisanal tonic, so novelty could work as an asset instead of a barrier. We ran a Brand Sprint workshop to nail down the brand's personality and built a persona to keep every decision grounded in a real user. My process started with pencil sketches on paper, refined through iPad and Apple Pencil, evolving into a fully hand-drawn logo that evokes the jagged, serrated edge of the maté leaf. The color palette carries its own meaning: blue and yellow for the summer sky Pepe Maté is meant to be enjoyed under, green for the yerba mate leaf itself, and orange and red for the colors of Spain and Madrid, where the brand was born. I chose flat, solid colors to give the packaging a minimalist look that would stand out immediately next to other energy drinks on a shelf or in a fridge. The design was also built for a label rather than printing directly onto the can, keeping it CMYK friendly for production.
