Graphic Design Major is Behind Sleek, Modern Look of PVD Tea Co.
While completing the last year of her B.F.A. in graphic design at RIC, Diane Oliver was asked to develop the brand identity for the Providence Tea Company (PVD Tea).
As a designer, this was her first professional job. However, the fact that the company is owned by her sister did make the challenge a little less daunting.
Brittany Muggle, age 36 and owner of PVD Tea, is also executive chef for 10 Prime Steak & Sushi in downtown Providence. She had been nursing the idea of starting her own business for years. But in 2024, she knew it was time.
Oliver, age 28, took over the branding, which meant creating the website, logo, catalog and packaging. The project served a dual function as both a pro bono service for her sister and as a senior project. (RIC’s B.F.A. in graphic design program requires a semester-long project on a topic of the student’s choice.) As Oliver’s work expanded, it became a paid position.
In all, the entire project took a year to complete, but the result speaks for itself. Oliver took PVD Tea to a whole new level.
Oliver chose fonts, typefaces and color schemes that reflect the elegance and sophistication of the black packaging. She added graceful twists and curves to the lettering; she hand drew the tea leaves; and incorporated the moon (goddess energy) into the logo. All the photography was shot and edited by Oliver, and, ultimately, each page of the website and catalog is a museum piece – a work of art.
“I went through a lot of iterations,” Oliver says, reflecting on her process. “I’d run everything by my sister and then tweak. I’d go back to her and tweak some more. Because we know each other so well, we were able to bounce ideas off each other quickly.”
“It was great being able to work with my sister,” she says. “We’re very close. We not only live together – I live in an apartment unit of a house she owns – we also work at the same restaurant. She’s executive chef and I’m bartender at 10 Prime Steak & Sushi.”
The two assembled the products at home – packing, printing and affixing labels. Along with online orders, Muggle sells her teas on Sundays at Providence Flea, Farm Fresh Rhode Island and various pop-ups around town.
In pulling off this major coup, Oliver drew from her lifelong love of art and her education. She earned her associate’s degree in business at CCRI in 2019, then transferred her business credits to RIC, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing in 2021. In her senior year, she tacked on three more years of schooling to earn her B.F.A. in graphic design, with a minor in digital media. She will graduate from RIC in May 2025.
As for the future, Oliver hopes to continue as a freelance graphic designer while maintaining her weekend bartending job. She has many projects underway and laughs as she describes the apartment she shares with two dogs:
“My apartment is filled with about 50 house plants, a lot of dog fur and a lot of art projects,” she says.
Her paper and digital products include brochures, book covers, magazine inserts, informational pamphlets, posters and more. She designs jewelry and recently took up crochet and beaded embroidery.
“My entire apartment is an open studio,” she admits. “I ping pong between projects – there’s a graphic design job waiting in my office, beaded jewelry in the living room, a crochet project in another corner of the apartment, drawings over here and photo editing over there. As I’m learning one thing, I pick up something else. It definitely keeps things exciting.”
Oliver will be launching her own Etsy shop soon, where she will incorporate all of her artistry.
Learn more about RIC’s studio art B.A. and B.F.A. program.