BOS Ice Tea

Designed by The President, South Africa.

The ubiquitous slang word “BOS” captures the energy and irreverence of South Africa. Put it into Rooibos ice tea, add the creative energy of Grant Rushmere of Afro Coffee fame, and Richard Bowsher, a co-founder of “AfrikaBurn”, package it with style and you get something that’s a little crazy and a little left of centre.

BOS Ice Tea, playing now in the fridges of happening bars, delis and restaurants, is all about contemporary African design and lifestyle trends.

The original brief to design consultancy, The President, was both to capture and initiate an authentic African story. The contemporary BOS story was just beginning but it was the ancestral story, which incorporates the traditions, myths and legends of the Khoisan people who discovered the uses of the Rooibos plant eons before, that has inspired the use of the lion and star in the logo and has rooted the origins of BOS firmly in Africa.

“From working with Grant on Afro, we had a clear understanding of his approach to design and culture, and it was a natural progression to distil the African style into something very African, South African but still contemporary,” Peet Pienaar, The President.

From there the idea distilled, and a simple, timeless and fun beverage can emerged. Potent symbols of African mythology are set against a backdrop of bold African colours that reflect the flavours and functions of the range. Red plays out on a backdrop of acid bright yellow, turquoise, green and pure white, making for compelling packaging that stands out from the rest. BOS is presented in funky 275ml slim-line cans. The units are sold singly or are shrink-wrapped into packs of four.

The intention to package a healthy product in a cool looking can was achieved, because “being healthy and being robustly cool haven’t always gone together but they can.”

Peet Pienaar as creative director and Byron Meiring as designer, have created packaging and supporting marketing design for BOS, that gives the product a great sense of excitement and the power to impact in the local market and beyond.

“Timeless design – Going back to classic, packaging with simple design, like the old maize meal bags and polish tins, is what we are wired into, it’s what being South African and being in Africa is about,” says Grant. “You’re not at an English tea party –you’re hip, cool, real – it’s funky contemporary Africa”

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