Taj Tea House Bone China
Case Study

Taj Tea House

Taj Mahal Tea / Unilever
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Discipline
Product Design · Brand Engagement
Client
Taj Mahal Tea / Unilever
Scope
Brand Extension · Teaware Design · Retail Engagement
The Brief
Taj Mahal Tea was selected in Unilever's list of 30 Power Brands. The objective: begin the journey of migrating Taj from a commodity brand to an experience brand. When Taj Mahal Tea decided to step into the world of tea experiences by opening the first-of-its-kind Taj Mahal Tea House, we recommended engaging the customer through a much deeper emotional bond.
Scope
Teaware Product Design — Porcelain & Stoneware lines
Distribution
Taj Tea House, Bandra Reclamation — retail at checkout
Brand Impact
Commodity brand to experience brand — Unilever Power Brand
01
The two icons that can truly represent India: Taj Mahal and Tea.
In an effort to reap the benefits of a loyal brand following, it was decided to engage in several brand engagement activities that would make the consumer bond even stronger and more unbreakable. The most powerful of these was a physical product line — one that consumers could take home, use daily, and interact with as part of the most intimate ritual of their day. The morning cup of tea.
Earthenware Full Set
02
The brand world already had the necessary visual cues. We just simplified, sharpened and translated them across product design.
The entire teaware line was conceived from the original iconic Taj Mahal inlay work — that breathtaking geometric floral pattern in marble — and modernised in application and technique. The brief was not to copy the Taj Mahal's design language but to distil its essence into something that worked beautifully at the scale of a teacup, a saucer, a teapot.
Bone China Teapot
Bone China Cup and Saucer
03
The gorgeous inlay motifs of the Taj Mahal, Agra, and the blue brand colours served as inspiration.
Keeping different tea routines and different consumer profiles in mind, two distinct lines of teaware were developed — Porcelain and Stoneware. The stoneware line relied on different shades of azure to reflect the calming influence of tea in an almost Japanese horizontal style. The porcelain line used the Taj motifs in blue and reverse to create a modern neo-Indian graphic line. A variation treated the motifs in sleek black and white juxtaposed with metallic gold highlight — making the entire range super premium. A modern wooden tray carried the motif subtly in engraving, making the experience more tactile.
Earthenware Teapot
Earthenware Cup
Blue Stoneware Tea Set
04
Subtly reminding the consumer about your brand first thing in the morning — in a daily ritual — is the best brand engagement idea.
What would be a more emphatic acknowledgement of brand connect than the consumer being ready to pay money and buy your merchandise? The entire teaware line is available for sale at the checkout counter of Taj Tea House in Bandra Reclamation. Not only can the guest get the best brand experience in the café — they could carry the brand home. Interacting with it every day. Not just a logo, but the essence of the brand, elevated.
Earthenware Set with Wooden Tray

Taj Mahal Tea was selected in the list of 30 POWER brands of Unilever. The objective was set to start the journey of migration of Taj from a commodity brand to an experience brand.

When Taj Mahal Tea decided to step into the world of tea experiences by opening the first-of-its-kind Taj Mahal Tea House, we recommended that they engage the customer through a much deeper emotional bond — by making products that form a part of his daily life.

The entire teaware line was conceived from the original iconic Taj Mahal inlay work and modernised in application and techniques. Two distinct lines were developed — Porcelain and Stoneware.

The stoneware line relied on different shades of azure to reflect the calming influence of tea in an almost Japanese horizontal style. The porcelain line used the Taj motifs in blue and reverse to create a modern neo-Indian graphic line. A variation used motifs in sleek black and white juxtaposed with metallic gold highlight — making the entire range super premium.

The entire Teaware is available for sale at the checkout counter of Taj Tea House in Bandra Reclamation. Not only can guests get the best brand experience in the café — they can carry the brand home as well.

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