18th August, 2026; Mumbai, India: Premium coffee brand Black Poetry has partnered with independent brand design and transformation consultancy OPEN Strategy & Design to develop the strategic and creative foundation for its entry into India’s emerging carbonated coffee category.
As one of the early brands introducing carbonated coffee to Indian consumers, Black Poetry faced a unique challenge. Coffee has long been associated with ritual, craft and tradition. Carbonated coffee, however, demanded an entirely different way of thinking. Rather than borrowing familiar cues from either speciality coffee or conventional ready-to-drink beverages, the brand needed a language of its own.
OPEN Strategy & Design answered that challenge with an idea built on the belief that the most exciting leaps in culture come from breaking convention. From jazz and hip-hop to street food and contemporary art, some of the world’s most enduring cultural movements have emerged by doing the unexpected. Black Poetry brings that same spirit with Coffee, Reimagined; challenging category norms without losing sight of the craft behind the product.
This thinking gave rise to the idea of ‘beautiful vandalism’—a creative philosophy that embraces irreverence in a category often defined by seriousness. Rather than treating disruption as shock for its own sake, the brand celebrates the idea that breaking the right rules can create something entirely new.
For an unfamiliar category, the can itself became the most important medium of communication. Recognising that consumers would encounter the product for the first time on crowded retail shelves, OPEN approached packaging not as a container, but as media. Designed to interrupt expectations, spark curiosity and start conversations, the can introduces consumers to a drink that looks every bit as surprising as it tastes.
As part of the engagement, OPEN Strategy & Design developed the brand positioning, packaging design, visual identity system and communication framework, creating a distinctive world around a product that reimagines how coffee can be experienced.
Rahul Goel, Founder of Black Poetry, said, “Working with OPEN Strategy & Design has been an incredible journey. When we set out to enter the sparkling coffee space, we knew we didn’t just need a package design; we needed a brand that could hold its own in a category with no existing rules. OPEN understood that from day one. They pushed us to be bolder than we imagined, and the idea of ‘beautiful vandalism’ captured exactly the spirit we wanted Black Poetry to carry into this new space. The result is a brand world that feels distinctly ours – unexpected, confident, and impossible to ignore on shelf.”
Asparsh Sinha, Managing Partner at OPEN Strategy & Design, said: “Emerging categories rarely succeed by borrowing the language of established ones. Carbonated coffee needed a distinctive voice and a visual world that reflected its unconventional nature. The idea of beautiful vandalism shaped everything we created, especially the packaging. We saw the can as the brand’s most powerful media channel—its first opportunity to stop people, spark conversation and invite them into an entirely new coffee experience.”
The collaboration reinforces OPEN Strategy & Design’s belief that the strongest brands don’t simply enter categories; they redefine how those categories are seen. By combining strategic thinking with culturally resonant design, the partnership has helped Black Poetry establish a distinctive presence in one of India’s newest and most exciting coffee segments.
About OPEN Strategy & Design
OPEN Strategy & Design is a Mumbai-based brand transformation and design consultancy. Established in 2011, OPEN helps businesses build brands with clarity, relevance, and long-term impact.
With expertise across FMCG, alcobev, real estate, jewellery, and other sectors, the consultancy partners with businesses to shape brand strategy, identity systems, packaging, digital experiences, and communications.
OPEN has been recognized with over 50 national and international awards, including Kyoorius Design Awards, ABBYs, London International Awards, DIELINE, and Pentawards, and is consistently among India’s most awarded independent design consultancies.
