Nice to meet you
Wen Hsiu (illustrator): I’m an illustrator from Taiwan and currently based in The Netherlands. My illustrations take inspiration from mundane life. They are my personal experiences with a gentle touch and a twist of dark humour. Drawing is a way for me to communicate my thoughts and hopefully, people will also find them relatable.
Our first encounter
Melissa (co-founder): I met Wen in 2021. At that time she was working at an Amsterdam based eyewear brand. We had a collaboration going on with one of their new services and co-created a drink.
When we connected over our roots and some other interests I found out that she draws in her free time, which I simply thought was so cool. She was one of the first that came to my mind when I had this idea last year.
Wen Hsiu (illustrator): since moving to the Netherlands five years ago, I have always been on a hunt for the best bubble tea to comfort my homesickness.
When I visited Chun for the first time, I immediately fell in love with their bubble tea and their brand. I would travel for an hour just to get a Chun bubble tea as my weekend treat.
Maybe the universe noticed my personal obsession, my first project I received at my previous work was a collaboration with Chun. I was thrilled.
That’s when I first met one of the founders, Melissa.
Design Process
Wen Hsiu (illustrator): during my first call with Melissa and Kelvin last year, we discussed a fair deadline and the message behind this collaboration. Valentine’s Day was a good reason and had a perfect lead time.
When thinking about love, I first thought about how Chun built their community via a shared love of food, and then, how romantic and intimate grabbing a morning coffee together can be.
I picture people sharing their love for coffee with my illustration on their cup. I want to turn the coffee cup into a different form of Valentine’s Day card. That’s when I came up with the text
— I love you as much as I love my coffee.
After playing around with different designs, I decided to go with something simple and straightforward. It started simply with a girl holding a coffee and finger heart gesture, but when I tried to adjust the visual with Melissa and Kelvin’s feedback, I immediately thought it would be more fun if I make it into a comic like graphic.
And, that’s the making of the final design you see now.
