Twinings

Founded in 1706, Twinings helped shape modern tea culture — becoming one of the world’s most recognised and enduring tea brands. But despite its extraordinary heritage, the brand had gradually lost clarity across its portfolio, with inconsistent packaging systems and a diluted premium presence at shelf.

At the same time, tea culture was evolving rapidly. Wellness, ritual, flavour exploration and lifestyle were reshaping consumer expectations, while black tea remained heavily habitual and lacking excitement or discovery.

BrandSociety was engaged to strategically rebuild the Twinings masterbrand from the ground up — reconnecting the brand to its rich heritage while preparing it for the future of tea.

/ Project Scope

Consumer & Cultural Insights, Portfolio Strategy & Architecture, Brand Identity, Visual Identity, Packaging Design, Bespoke Illustration & Typography, Production Management, Distinctive Brand Asset Management.

/ Rediscovering the Foundations

Our process began with deep immersion into both brand and society.

We explored the original Twinings shopfront, historical assets, tea philosophies, sourcing heritage and craftsmanship principles that made the brand iconic. Simultaneously, we studied the future of tea culture — from wellness behaviours to modern premiumisation and guided discovery.

By looking back, we uncovered the foundations needed to move the brand forward.

/ Refining an Icon

At the centre of the transformation was a complete refinement of the historic Twinings brandmark.

Inspired by the original London storefront, every letterform was carefully redrawn to improve balance, legibility and refinement while preserving the authenticity and heritage of the original identity.

The iconic gold block was reinforced as a core Distinctive Brand Asset, supported by a broader identity system designed to restore consistency, authority and premium presence globally.

/ Visual Identity

From these foundations, we developed the new creative platform: Elevated Stories.

The visual world re-established Twinings as the authority in tea through nature, provenance, craftsmanship and curated storytelling.

A new branded “wreath” architecture became a unifying device across the packaging system — creating consistency across the portfolio while allowing flexibility for each blend and range to tell its own unique story.

/ Building Discovery at Shelf

The new packaging system was designed not only to organise complexity, but to inspire exploration.

Clearer flavour descriptors, strength indicators and blend storytelling helped consumers confidently navigate the range and discover beyond habitual tea choices.

Illustration, colour, photography and communication systems were carefully crafted to create a richer and more immersive shelf experience across black tea, herbal, fruit and green tea ranges.

/ Expanding the World of Tea

Beyond packaging, the broader Twinings visual world was expanded to connect tea with more contemporary lifestyles and rituals.

The system moved beyond traditional tea conventions to create a warmer, more immersive and culturally relevant expression — broadening the appeal of the brand while remaining deeply rooted in its heritage.

/ Conceptual Innovation Images

Future-facing innovation territories and concept visuals were also developed to explore what the next generation of Twinings could become across wellness, chilled tea and modern tea experiences.

/ The Result

The result was a comprehensive global masterbrand refresh that repositioned Twinings as both timeless and contemporary.

Today, the Twinings system continues to be recognised as a benchmark example of strategic portfolio management and distinctive packaging architecture — proving the value of deeply considered brand systems built for both heritage and modern consumer behaviour.