Design information

During my time at The Plated Project, Starbucks came in with the intention of creating a simple yet impactful plate to commemorate their 500th store in India. The starting point was the idea of a journey, not just across locations but across time and memory, reflecting the many experiences the brand has created and how it continues to hold space for connection in everyday life. As the illustrator, I began to visualise this as a passage through the walls of Starbucks, something you don’t just look at but step into. The composition took shape as a series of arches, where the first arch draws from their earliest store in Bombay and the innermost arch marks the 500th, creating a quiet sense of movement from origin to present. Within this frame, the artwork holds small, familiar moments of people coming together over coffee, conversations, pauses, and shared time, allowing the viewer to experience these fragments as part of a larger narrative. The process unfolded over several months with many shifts in visual direction, but it gradually distilled into a more restrained language where the focus stayed on form, rhythm, and feeling. The decision to move into a monotone palette became important in holding this stillness, letting the details surface gently without overwhelming the story. What remains is a piece that feels both minimal and layered, shaped by observation, memory, and a personal understanding of how these spaces quietly become part of people’s lives. This series is divided in two categories of products, a tote bag and an illustrated decorative plate, both retailing all across India in the stores as part of their limited edition sale.