INTERVIEW

Cha Cha ชา ช้า
Thoughtful design meets illustration

Prang Vipaluk invites you into her daily tea ritual with an imagined brand, Cha Cha, that perfectly blends both her design and illustrative practices to create a range of colourful packaging, full of charm. 

As one of four Future Makers artists taking part in our 2025 programme, Prang began developing Cha Cha as a way to explore how her illustrative work translates as packaging. Using the format as a medium for storytelling, she celebrates the expansive flavours and unhurried ritual of preparing and drinking tea. The project evolved into a series of tins, boxes and wider brand materials, showcasing her bold and playful illustrative style brought together with thoughtful design. 

We spoke to Prang about the story behind Cha Cha, a return to paper and physical materials, and the possiblities it opens up for her practice.  

I thought of this packaging like a little storybook. I wanted it to feel a bit like stepping into a hidden garden, away from all the stress, and enjoying the tea-making ritual and the freshly brewed tea.

– Prang Vipaluk 

Tell us about your inspiration and the story behind Cha Cha?

I always love exploring and seeing my work in a format that’s beyond the screen or the two-dimensional plane, so I thought creating some packaging would be a fun way to do that!

The name plays on the Thai word Cha (ชา), meaning “tea”, and also Cha (ช้า) “slow”, reflecting the quiet, joyful, and unhurried ritual of making tea. I also find the word, when double-pronounced, is fun to say.

The inspiration came from my habits of preparing tea or coffee to keep me company during work hours. The comforting aroma of freshly brewed tea or freshly dripped coffee often soothes my senses and helps me relax, allowing me to focus on any project at hand. Each unique flavour transports me to different places, which inspires me to capture those moments and express them through creative packaging designs. Therefore, the Cha Cha project begins.

We love the tactile experience of the box. How do you want people to feel when interacting with it?

I thought of this packaging like a little storybook, something you’d want to pick up, open, and just see what’s inside. The outer box is illustrated like the facade of a house, with small die-cut windows that give you a peek inside, so there’s a bit of curiosity even before opening it.

When you open it, it becomes a summer garden scene, quite detailed and full of small elements that represent the theme of the selected blend – The Summer Garden Blend. I wanted it to feel a bit like stepping into a hidden garden, away from all the stress, and enjoying the tea-making ritual and the freshly brewed tea.

For the tea tins, I kept things much simpler. They use bold colour blocking so each blend is easy to recognise, with a small, playful illustration to hint at the flavour. It helps balance everything out, so the box feels rich and immersive, while the tins stay clean and easy to read.

Making something physical, like building a box or creating more dimensional work beyond the screen, helps me find my way back to the starting point of my practice, encouraging me to explore more hands-on processes alongside digital work.

– Prang Vipaluk 

Has the project changed the way you think of your work in any way?

Working on this project helps me reconnect with the medium I used to enjoy doing, which is paper cutting, and reminds me how much I like making something physical, like building a box or creating more dimensional work beyond the screen. It helps me find my way back to the starting point of my practice, encouraging me to explore more hands-on processes alongside digital work.

Is there anything this has spurred you on to create or explore?

It also opened up new possibilities for how my illustrations can be adapted into physical formats. I’m more interested now in exploring how my work can live beyond flat surfaces, whether through packaging, objects, or more tactile, interactive pieces. I'm actually thinking of making a small window-display design for the box set too, so maybe I'll save the idea for next time!

www.grandmatter.com/prangvipaluk

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