HAYLEY KANBARA
GRAPHIC DESIGNER & ILLUSTRATOR
Saga V – The Peculiar Mocktail That Challenges the Competition
Creating a New Mocktail for a Modern Audience
September - October 2025
The project was to create an original mocktail that would have a design that would stand out against the competition. The mocktail had to be original in everything from the brand’s theme to the design of the packaging. The drink had to have a target audience that would immediately be drawn to the product by its branding. The product created the issue of how it could have an original design that would be memorable to customers. The alcohol business is home to countless brands with their own distinct packaging, so how could Saga V become its own thing?
The project was divided into four teams, branding, content, web, and packaging. I was a part of the packaging team, whose responsibilities were to create the designs for the bottle, the die lines for the box, and the box’s designs. Additionally, our team was in charge of designing the illustrations of the tarot cards that will be included with the packaging as a collectible.
The Affordable Mocktail with a Look of Mystery and Beauty
The branding of the mocktail was done by a separate team, who created the name Saga V for the product. Saga V is branded as a product of mystique and artistry that uses storytelling in its packaging. Its branding is inspired by the beautiful and cryptic elements of Gothic designs combined with the unknown features associated with tarot cards. Saga V will be released with five distinct flavors made with natural flavors that will attract consumers who are health conscious about their decisions.
The target audience for Saga V are adults at a general age range of 20 to 44 years old. These customers would be primarily Gen Z and Millennials who are looking for a reasonable substitute for alcohol. Saga V will provide these consumers a drink that not only provides the appeal of a premium brand but removes the health risks associated with alcohol consumption. The product’s use of clean-label and organic ingredients will help in attracting consumers looking for a product that lacks not only the alcohol, but any unhealthy synthetic ingredients.
Designs and Challenges of an Unusual Premise
The challenges that came with designing the packaging mainly originated from the branding itself. During the early production of design, our early concepts were solely based on what information we were receiving from the branding team. While waiting for the branding team, we began communicating with the idea of using different materials that would be affordable and attract customers.
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The first concepts that the branding team gave us were a combination of medieval, folklore, and tarot cards, which was a mixture that immediately challenged our early designs. The team worked on designs based on this concept, but then the branding team finally gave us the final concept, which was a Gothic design mixed with tarot cards. This is when we were given the brand name, color palette, and typography. The packaging team, despite the difficulties from lack of concept, were finally relieved when we were given a final brand.
Once our team was given the branding of Saga V, the next step was to decide on materials. During the production of branding, we were considering what materials and designs to use for packaging the product. Our team had three different materials to choose from: glass, recyclable plastic, and aluminum cans.
Once we started receiving concepts from the branding team, we had to make a decision on what materials to submit for feedback. Our team agreed that aluminum cans, while cheaper, would not match the theme that the branding team was considering. The branding team liked the idea of tarot cards implementing onto the packaging, so we had to solve the issue on what material would make this concept effective. However, the branding team had considered not going with glass bottles, but plastic or aluminum cans. This would negatively impact the tarot card reveal incorporated onto the bottle.
To solve this, members of our team researched competitor’s products to understand how well a premium product would translate onto different materials. The branding team and our team agreed to use glass bottles once the branding decided on the final theme for Saga V. We all decided that the glass bottles, while more expensive, would better match the premium look
Putting Together the Little Things
Once our team received the final branding of Saga V, we began working on the package design. The original use of the tarot card was to have the card implemented on either the labeling or, if possible, onto the bottle. However, this was modified to have a tarot card included with the packaging. Our original plan was to design the collectible cards based off of the Major Arcana of a tarot deck and have several cards for each flavor. However, the branding team changed the Major Arcana to be characters representing each of the five flavors.
The designs of the cards were created by four of the team members that used the color palettes provided by the branding team. I was responsible for the illustration The Siren. The designs of the characters provided a small challenge to us because of the limited color palette leading to limited opportunities of design to the card.
One of the last parts of the projects that I had a part of was creating additions to the product. The team decided to include business cards that could be passed out during promotions of Saga V. I created two different versions of the business cards with one applying the character illustrations of the five flavors. The designs of the cards were inspired by the brand guidelines the branding team produced. The final designs of the business cards were presented through mockups that displayed the different versions of the cards.
Once all the segments of the project came together, I would say that what we put together, as a team, was a lot more than what I anticipated. The amount of work that was done in a short deadline was astounding considering that we had started with absolutely nothing. The biggest part that truly impressed me was our team was able to create an original bottle design through 3D modeling. The distinctiveness of the glass bottle, from the texture to the different colors, absolutely helped make Saga V its own. When customers look for Saga V on the shelf, they will immediately recognize the bottle.
The experience of this project was mixed in the earlier production of the project. My team and I realized just how difficult it can be to work on a project with little to no information on what you are designing. We did not have any context to begin researching materials or the type of packaging; it was a waiting game for the packaging team. It became slightly frustrating when we could not get a solid decision on how Saga V was going to be branded because we needed a decision on materials. Despite the obstacles encountered, this was an amazing experience in not just project management, but time management as well.
