Reimagining​ The Starbucks Carafe

The integration of aesthetics and functional capability are what propel design forward. Beyond a fresh new look, society craves advancement in the form of function that simplifies daily life. User experiences crafted by designers in an effort to make the experience a fluid and enjoyable one, are sometimes so seamlessly ingrained into a product that the user may overlook these subtle additions.

Lately, our team has been thinking of ways to enhance everyday items and involvements. From waiting in line to taking a deeper look into how we wash our hands or brush our teeth. Our creative director, noted coffee lover, decided to take a stab at enhancing an age old design…

His approach to the Starbucks carafe has completely revitalized and re-envisioned its initial approach. A carafe, usually an open-topped pitcher made of glass to pour water or milk has been reimagined to produce an all-new look and feel! Using his concept as an opportunity to reinforce the stylish look and feel of the store into the carafe design itself; he artfully implemented the brand logo into the carafe to reinforce brand recognition. The top of the Carafe, which keeps debris from falling in, features an emboldened Starbucks logo.

The form of the carafe, has been slimmed down from its usual round shape ( applied to hold more liquid) to present a sleek, sexy more modernized design that focuses on UX. A Starbucks generally may serve 500 – 750 customers a day! That’s a lot of hands on one carafe. In an attempt to battle the transmission of germs, our creative director moved forward with implementing a copper handle. Since ancient times It’s been proven that copper has the ability to break down viruses and bacteria. Copper is effective at killing viruses like MERS, H1N1 and a relative of COVID-19; Coronavirus 229e. The first documented use of copper as a germ-killing agent is recorded in “Smiths Papyrus”, the oldest known medical document in the world! Recent research has shown that copper is effective against Coronavirus within four hours. When designing the handle he made sure to incorporate generous amounts of space between the copper handle and carafe itself which is made of plastic.