Fresh Out of History — BP&O
BP&O Plus
The coconut never falls far from the tree. Or does it?
Coconut water has come a long way from cracking open a coconut. Today it’s sparkling, fortified with vitamins and associated with everything from hydration and energy to gut health.
Above Water pushes into hydration, gut health and energy, while Chợ Chời Creative looked somewhere very different for the packaging, digging into the coconut’s place in ancient ritual and mythology.
That takes the design somewhere I wasn’t expecting. The lettering looks carved, strange little figures climb across the cans and each drink has its own scene. Beasts, plants, suns and characters look as though they’ve escaped from an ancient wall and found their way onto aluminium.
Across different cultures, coconuts have been used in rituals and offerings, with associations ranging from nourishment and protection to purification and spiritual connection. The shell, flesh and water have all carried different meanings, giving Chợ Chời a wealth of imagery beyond the familiar palms and tropical beaches.
Chợ Chời has had some fun with it. Stone reliefs become cartoons and totems become characters, with enough humour to bring ancient references into the everyday business of choosing a drink.
What I like is the collision. It also highlights how narrowly heritage is often interpreted in packaging. Too often that means vintage labels, old advertisements or a typeface pulled from the company archives. Look further back and there’s a much broader visual language to explore, including references that have barely been touched by the category.
That gives Above Water a connection to its main ingredient without reaching for the same imagery as everyone else. Coconut water doesn’t have to show us coconuts and palm trees any more than orange juice needs an orange with a straw sticking out of it.
