Yorkshire Tea

In the 70s a new blend was created by Taylors' experts, called Yorkshire Tea, taking inspiration from their surroundings. The blend was intended to create a brew that suited the region's water, and the surroundings inspired Yorkshire Tea's image as well as taste.

The company employed renowned designer Michael Peters to create the look of Yorkshire Tea. He used images of traditional regional landscapes featuring cricketers, dales and dog walkers as the backdrop for the orange stripe and bold typeface bearing the brand's name. The look of the product has been updated over the years but not changed significantly. The Yorkshire landscape illustration used is still that created by artist Lizzie Sanders in 1984, refreshed with new scenes by the same artist in 2002. Such is the influence of the brand's location, the production lines at its Harrogate headquarters are named after nearby rivers, the Wharfe, Nidd, Swale and Esk.

Yorkshire Tea has thrived in Britain, and its popularity and success was cemented in 2005 when it became the third bestselling tea brand, rivalling best-selling big corporation's brands such as PG Tips and Tetley. Consumers get through an estimated 10m cups of Yorkshire Tea every day.

Originally appearing as promotional items in the 70s, a range of tea-related collectables has since been made available for fans of Yorkshire Tea, including teapots, tea caddies, mugs and model toys.

The company, which is still family owned, has also expanded outside the UK with success, offering a little taste of Yorkshire to 30 countries around the world.

Yorkshire Tea's pastoral packaging captures our idealistic image of England, the 'green and pleasant land' of William Blake's Jerusalem and where Danny Boyle transported us at the start of his London 2012 opening ceremony. It's the image that comes to mind when you're far from home and missing the old country. Comforting and familiar, just like a good cuppa.

Where other brands present our national drink with some exclusivity and allude to its aristocratic descent, Yorkshire Tea is democratised and down to earth - a brand for a nation of tea drinkers. The name provides that assurance. No county is perceived as being more honest or no-nonsense than Yorkshire. The brand mark with its bold, sans serif type and ever so slightly brash orange outline represents this perfectly. As does the directness of the line 'Let's have a proper brew'. You can almost hear Geoffrey Boycott as you read it.

The Royal Crest almost goes unnoticed, perhaps because we wouldn't necessarily associate it with such a grounded brand; but if there was any doubt whether this is real English tea, it's a final seal of authenticity.

True to its roots, Yorkshire Tea provides a lesson in being direct both in concept and execution. Charles Taylor's vision was simply to bring a little taste of Yorkshire to the rest of Britain. Michael Peters translated that idea directly into a piece of distinctive design. Now that's champion.