annabelle breakey and a new take for starbucks
Starbucks wanted to do something a little different for the winter menu boards in its Asian stores, placing the featured drinks between two planes of stained glass. Annabelle Breakey and her team got to work sourcing brightly colored plexiglass and fresh ingredients.
“They wanted to evoke a sense of architectural grid lines based on stained glass, sliding the drinks between two colored planes,” explained Annabelle. “It was fun to do something so out of the box.”
Annabelle has done several projects for Starbucks in the 9 years she's been working with the company. She says every time she shoots for Starbucks, it's her favorite project for them because each one brings a new technical challenge.
The menu boards were up in stores during Chinese New Year—the inspiration for the concept for the Teavana Chestnut Black Tea Latte, which sits between two panes of brilliant gold-rimmed red glass. “The gold is a prominent symbol for Chinese New Year,” Annabelle noted.
The flavors of the drinks, which are unusual in the States, presented their own challenge. Food stylist Robyn Valarik whipped up the Matcha Cold Foam Iced Americano, Teavana Iced Poached Pear Chamomile Tea, and Teavana Oat Green Tea Lattes.
“Robin knows all the tricks of the trade. I’ve done most of my work for Starbucks with her, and she just knocks out these drinks like it’s nothing,” said Annabelle. “We got to try them, too. They were all so delicious!”