Material Matters: Ceramic

Cotton, corduroy, canvas, oh my! Half of getting a project right is picking a material that actually fits. The Material Matters Series, runs down what these materials actually are, and when and how to best use them.

We said we were swapping the factory floor for the kiln, and here we are, ceramic, the one material in this whole series that was already sitting on every desk, coffee station, and kitchen cabinet before promo ever got involved.

As I’m sure we all know, Ceramic mugs start as clay, get shaped, then get fired in a kiln at a high enough temperature that the whole thing hardens into something that’ll survive a dishwasher for years. From there it’s a glaze that determines the finish, matte, gloss, or a straight-up color coat, and that glaze is doing double duty as both the look and the surface your branding actually sits on.

Obviously, handle style varies by mug too, some are a classic C-handle, others are built to physically stack inside each other for storage, which changes the shape more than you’d think. We have plenty to choose from in this area.

This is the material where nobody has to compromise to find their mug. We're running over 16+ shapes deep, so there's a soft matte everyday mug for the minimalist, a stackable nesting mug for the neat freak, and a retro diner-style cup for the person who wants their morning coffee to feel like a bit, and that's before you get into the rest of the lineup. Then there's the color count, 50+ options across the collection, which means a client isn't settling for "a mug," they're picking the exact shade and shape that actually matches the brand.

“Nobody needs another mug. Everybody wants one anyway.”

That’s really the whole pitch, nobody’s out here rationalizing their fifth mug, they just see one they like and it comes home with them. So the job isn’t convincing a client that mugs work, that part’s already done. The job is picking the right one, minimalist and matte for the brand that keeps it clean, retro and colorful for the brand that wants some personality, or somewhere in between with 16+ shapes to pick from. Match the shape to the brand and ceramic does the rest.

With this many shapes in one material, the decoration method isn’t a given, some styles take standard imprint, some open up to upgrades like sand carving for a textured look and feel, and some are decal only, so it’s worth confirming what a specific shape actually supports before you quote it to a client. The finish matters for the pitch too, matte glazes vs glossy reads differently, so let the client’s brand point you to the right one.

While we mostly focused on mugs for ceramic, we also have ceramic vessels for our candles! Its ceramic bowl design offers a luxe, reusable vessel that is perfect long after the flame is gone.

→ Cuppa Matte Mug, 12oz with a soft matte finish in 7 colors, sand carving available as an upgrade.

→ Tall Nest Mug and Short Nest Mug, 13oz and 10oz with a classic C-handle, built to stack inside each other, also available for sand carving.

→ Diner Mug, 10oz of retro diner-style ceramic in a dozen colors, decal decoration only.

→ 16oz Ceramic Bowl Candle, a low, wide, dual-wick candle in a reusable ceramic vessel, poured in soy wax with a pick of 28 paraben-free scents.

These are just a taste, there's 16+ shapes and 50+ colors total. See the full ceramic lineup for the rest.