Packaging Design Inspiration

Happy Saturday everyone! This week is all about my packaging design pinspiration. Follow the link to my design pinterest board or continue reading for my top choices. We're going to discuss the pros and cons of some of my favorite packaging designs. 

Double Cross
   Here is a design that has the whole package, the bottle is beautiful, the logo meets all my requirements, it's tactile, and it has a neat story. 
History
   The founders of Double Cross, Malcolm Lloyd and John Gellner, spent four years researching and touring Eastern Europe stopping at every distillery along the way. Their journey ended in the Slovakian town of Stará Ľubovňa in the Tatra Mountains. The owners of the brand say that the inspiration for the bottle Owners of the brand state that the inspiration for the Double Cross name came from the double cross symbol found in the Slovak flag and coat of arms and that the rectangular bottle is decorated with script which is lines of Slovak poetry. 

Logo

   The logo is based off of the Slovakian coat of arms that they have on their flag but as you can see, by comparison, they are not identical. The picture on the left shows a view of the bottle and a logo that appears to have a gradient but the actual logo does not have any shift in color. The logo is slightly raised, giving the bottle some tactile dimension, and it meets all of my requirements. The sticker shown in detail on the right is a beautiful mix of complex graphic elements that appears to have an overall clean design. 

Bottle   Wow, just check it out! What a beautiful bottle, it's quite different from a lot of the vodka bottles that are out there, and everything on the bottle reflects its history. 
That's Neat
   They must be doing something right, in 2008, Double Cross won a gold medal for taste and a gold medal for package design at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.







Milagro
   (Milagro loosely translates to miracle) "It would be wrong to create a tequila like Milagro and not make a bottle to match its distant character. Beautifully  crafted from artisan glass. Tall and proud instead of short and squat."(quoted from Milagro's website) How true it is and what an amazing concept to have a hand-blown agave plant in each bottle of their Milagro Select Barrel Reserve. 
Logo
   The logo (above) has no real icon but consists of the company name and loosely translates to "legend of the miracle." Everything is written in a semi-handwritten font that does not work on the neck of the bottle, which is tall and skinny, and the logo is just too wide for the bottle. 
Label
   The label at the bottom of the bottle is designed beautifully, from the clean sans-serif font to the overall color of each different flavor. 

Dashfire Bourbon Bitters
   Dashfire Bitters Co. was created by Lee Egbert who traveled around Asia where he developed a love for the spices and recipes that he found on his travels. His interest in tinctures, their history, and the idea that each bottle is unique and filled with the best ingredients.
Logo
   Their logo consists of the company name in a beautiful sans-serif font. I really respond to the way they broke up the name by using a thicker almost serif f on the right side of the h.
Label
   This style has to be my favorite source for inspiration. I love the combination of vintage and modern from the old fashion layout and concept design to the modern clean fonts. This bottle has such a striking look, it holds a lot of information, but it also has a very clean look.





Thanks for the reads this week, check out my design pinspiration, and let me hear you! Comment, share, or tweet me! Come on people get out there and use your knowledge; create something.


Alyssa

Branding and Sustainability

Hello one and all, I hope this fine Saturday finds you in good form : ) I want to talk about a few concepts that are closely tied to packaging design and throw in a little marketing while I'm at it.

Topics
1.Logo Design
2.Branding
3.Sustainability



Logo Design
   You can't have packaging without a logo, or a company, or a brand. All of these things are connected, as in you can't have one without the other. To create an effective logo you have to start with the company. What does your company do? What is special about your company? How do you want your audience to view your company? These are questions that will kickstart the design process and help you in creating a rockstar logo. This is a little review of logo design from my post about logos.

So here are my four "must haves" when it comes to great logos designs.

1. BOLD

2. VERSATILE

3. SIMPLE

4. NO/LITTLE GRADIENT

Branding and Sustainability

   Now a logo is all fine and dandy but you can't just slap a logo on a bottle and expect it to make you legendary. The logo is the jumping off point, from there you can create, and expand on your company by using the concept of branding. Branding is strategic, it expresses the values, and personality of a particular company. Think of branding as the face of the company, what people think about when they see the logo, or what they

think of when they hear about it. 

   Take Heineken for example, their latest branding campaign features Daniel Craig, the current James Bond. This creates a killer vibe for the brand, the bad boy routine, and come on, what man doesn't want to be James Bond. Their commercials feature Craig in his Bond persona, escaping from trouble, causing trouble, and saving the day.  How does he end his day? That's right he grabs a Heineken. 

Sustainability

   Now here's something to wrap your brain around, Heineken has been around since 1873; that's 141 years. Now look at the label, does that look like a dusty 141 year old label, no. That's because Heineken understands the concept of Sustainability. 

   They have a central logo, the name and the red star, and yet the labels have changed over the years. They understand that trends come and go, that visual tastes change, and that the quality of design is always increasing. People get bored when things stay the same; a great company understands that, and they are able to develop campaigns that adapt the logos to current ideas.

Well, thanks for the reads this week, as always I hope you enjoyed my thoughts and findings. Have a great and responsible weekend! : ) Go forth and Create!

Marketing Wine to Women

Happy Friday! Spring break is around the corner and liquor sales are about to climb skyward. For anyone looking for great spring break drinks that won't add inches to your waistline click here. 

   This week I wanted to talk about current trends in wine marketing and how it has affected design. What do you think of when you hear words like chocolate, birthday cake, and cupcakes? Super yummy desserts right? Well now you can think of wine.

 

Birthday Cake 

   Here we have Birthday Cake wine, no real logo, and a boring bottle design. The logo is a busy script font that is boring and hard to read. The bottle wrap is confusing, is it supposed be grey drips going down or is it colored drips floating upward? The whole packaging is just an exercise in bad design. It's hard to imagine that this came from the creators of Hpnotiq and Skyy Vodka.  

ChocolatRouge

   The logo for ChocolatRouge is a light brown squiggle on a field of black. What's up with the squiggle, it looks less like chocolate, and more like a river of caramel. There is something unattractive about the color pallet used in this brand. The bottle on the right is either clear and shows the color of the wine or the bottle itself is colored brown. This color is unpleasant, it is murky, and does not make me want to drink it. The logo is disconnected from the name and just a harsh design overall. 

Cupcake Wine

   Of the three wines described today this is my pick of the week. It has a logo, a clear vision, and interesting colors. The actual logo, the little red cupcake, is somewhat hidden in the blue filagree border. The logo is clearly a stylized cupcake that hints at abstraction but remains recognizable. While the logo somewhat disappears in the filagree from a distance, close up, the logo appears clearly. 

   Cupcake winery has created a delicate and upscale brand image that markets well to women. The fonts are attractive and reflect the delicate nature of the brand. The colors are beautiful, the blue is dense enough to show up and not overpower, and there is just enough yellow to pop the label off of the bottle. I gravitate towards small type but this label is a bit small for me. 

While wines are trying to market to the female sweet tooth, you can't just chose a script font, and slap a label on a bottle and call it a good idea. Design takes time and consideration, lazy design work has no business, and there is definitely no room for it in high quality marketing. Thanks for the reads this week, and now that the Earth is warming up, try to get outside this weekend. Go do something, create, experience, just do it! 

Alyssa out!

What's Trending: Microbreweries

Happy Saturday to everyone. Looks like the weather is finally changing for the better! Here in Iowa we still have loads of snow on the ground but watch out for the heat wave this weekend, a balmy 40 degrees! Speaking of turning up the heat; let's find out what's going to be HOT and TRENDING this year in the liquor market and what it has to do with this weeks topic.

What's HOT!

   1. Micro-distilled/artisan spirits

   2. Locally produced beer/wine/spirits

   3. On site barrel-aged drinks
   4. Culinary Cocktails

   5. Regional signature cocktails

According to the National Restaurant Association's Culinary Forecast these are the top five trends to look for in 2014

Why is this important? What does this have to do with packaging? I'm glad you asked. When you know what's trending, or what's popular, you can jump on the band wagon and design for that trend. We are talking about 1 and 2, local micro distilleries, and microbreweries. The trend with microbreweries is graphics, retro colors schemes, and the American way.

Olde Main Brewing Company and Restaurant 

Logo
   The Olde Main logo has several things going for it, the circle is a big bold shape that tends to always get attention. The green and red colors are interesting and appealing. The problems I have with this logo lies with the yellow/tan color, the banner, and the wheat. The yellow and the shape of the banner try to mimic aged parchment paper but they both fall short. They give the logo an unfinished, beginning design, and it just looks like clip art that someone made on Word. The wheat is a great addition to the logo but they are too small to have any impact. The wheat fades away at a distance and the yellow color is too close to the green which only makes it harder to stand out.


Packaging
  To the right we have a few of the Olde Main bottle labels. Each different beer has it's own personality, color scheme, and imagery. The only thing they have that unifies them is the logo on the neck wrap and the band of yellow brackets the label. I have such a problem with these labels, they are remarkable disconnected from the logo and that bothers me. Now I understand wanting to have diversity and change it up a bit but you have to think about the brand. The brand should have a unifying theme so that at a glance people recognize your products.

Exile Brewing Company

Logo

   Exile Brewing has a gorgeous logo design, clearly thought out, everything has been carefully placed, and the colors are fantastic. This logo goes a little against the trend since it's more modern but it is still wonderful. Now, I do love it, but it is a touch busy.








Packaging
  To the left we have the labels and the identity of Exile's four main beers, each one has a different girl and personality. I find the idea interesting and the execution is fabulous. Each girl is different and represents the flavor of beer but once again I have a problem. They do not further the brand that is described by the logo. The logo is modern and linear and full of design principles while the girls are reminiscent of a different age. They represent the days of pin-ups and the good old days.

Backpocket Brewing

   Backpocket Brewing is my cream of the crop this week. I love what this brand is doing, how they portray their brand, the colors, and the era they represent.
Logo
   When I look at this logo I see a carefully planed out, well designed, and clear brand to go with the name. The shape reflects the name, it looks like the back pocket of a pair of worn denim jeans. Here in the Midwest, where the beer is centered, we have a lot of farmers and a history of hard working. The classic image of a tired worker wiping his hands on the legs of his worn jeans comes to mind when I see this logo. It's a beer for the people, the hard workers, and for those looking for quality.
   The blue and mustardy yellow are beautiful together. The font and its' placement are great, having the name arch over top of the rest of the logo, it really works here unlike Olde Mains' logo. The logo is simple, clear, and easy to understand. I only worry about the wheat and the little hairs, it depends on the size, but I worry about them getting lost at smaller sizes.

Packaging





   Wow! What a beautiful continuation of the brand. You look at these bottles and you can tell without a doubt that these are a part of the Backpocket brand. They reflect the brand and yet at the same time each bottle has a different personality and a different style/flavor of beer. It can be done! The colors are different than those in the those in the logo but they stay in the same tone, a little dark, muted, maybe a little aged. The names of the beers are clearly displayed and even those reflect the logo so thumbs up to Backpocket Brewery! I love the style that the illustrations are done in, they have a 50s sort of vibe, another throw back to the good ol days. I love this brand and how it has been spread out across the packaging design so for me Backpocket Brewing is top dog this week.

So what is important about all of this?
   To remain relevant you have to keep track of what is trending, what's popular, and right now one of the most popular trends in alcohol consumption is micro brewed beers. People want the intimate atmosphere of the micro pubs and their small batch of designer beers.
   One trend within the trend of micro breweries is to have throw backs, or retro brands that bring in the new drinking crowd and brings back the old drinking crowd. This is exciting stuff, there is so much competition, and so many brands out there that just can't keep up with the top dogs.

So that's it for this week, thanks for the reads, tell me what you think, comment, like, tweet and tell me about it!

Go out and do it! Make it happen!

Tactile Advertising

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you liked the last post about Jameson and font choices. Today we're talking about Tactile Advertising.
     

Absolut Vodka
   This is a technique that requires the customer to pick up the product or look so engaging that the customer is drawn to touching. What better example of something I want to pick up than the limited edition of Absolut Vodka Rock. This was  the start of a campaign to make consumers feel like rockstars when they partook in Absolut Vodka Rock with the slogan being, "in an Absolut world you ROCK!" This campaign featured a leather studded case that wrapped around the bottle; very "touchable" although a bit gimmicky.

1000 Acres Vodka
   This is a product designed by the Arnell Group, I can only assume that these are prototypes since the company 1000 Acres Vodka doesn't exist. I find these bottle so beautiful that I have to include them.

   Appealing to a person's sense of touch doesn't mean that you have to have a heavily textured surface. These bottles have a smooth glassy texture that just begs to be touched. The silky texture of the bottle enhances the viewers perception of the crystal clear vodka. Clear bottle and limited label design is something that I talked about in Multi-sensory Appeal: Sight Part 1. The designers came up with beautiful bottle shapes and an ingenious placement with the cork. The one on the right is so clear that it's almost unnoticeable, all clean right angles except for the top which is slightly curved. The curve acts as a wave with the cork floating upon it. The one on the left has an interesting raised bottom which is visually appealing. I give the bottle on the right two thumbs way, way up and extremely "touchable."                                                                       

  

 Das Korn
    Das Korn is a rebranding of what was a "cheap" German grain liquor and has now become a European sensation. Popular in clubs all over Germany now for the product's superb packaging. Das Korn uses a bottle shape that is reminiscent of perfume bottles, without the spritzer, and features a metal screw cork. What's beautiful about this design is the harmony between the hard geometric font and the organic line-drawn grains behind it. The almost perfect square shape is ideal for fitting in the palm of your hand and doesn't that just make you itch to try out? To test out it's weight and to see if the line art is raised or flat. Since it's only sold in Germany and Europe I have been unable to personally inspect the bottle but I would have to touch!

Paradox Absinthe 

   Paradox is another concept design from the people at Product Ventures who brought change to products like Summer's Eve, International Delight, and Dr. Scholl's. This bottle is drop dead gorgeous! The bottle's color is a slightly tinted yellow that enhances the color of the Absinthe. The columns that run down the sides hint at Art Deco architecture as well as the amazing logo. The complex lines and curves are supposed to mimic a labyrinth or maze, and boy do they give something for the eyes as well as hands. I give this design "ring status" because all I want to do is hold it and stroke it and call it my precious! (Lord of the Rings humor) 

Thanks for the continued readership! Follow me on twitter: @AlyssaGourd or pinterest: nerdyowl. Let me hear from you! I know you're out there :) Have a great, safe, and responsible weekend. Go forth designers and create.

Alyssa is AFK(Away From Keyboard)

Jameson's Irish Whiskey

Jameson Irish Whiskey

   I have to do a write up about Jameson's since it's my favorite! A triple distilled whiskey from the beautiful Emerald Isle. Now I admit I am a tiny bit biased when it comes to a anything Irish whether it's one side of my family tree or this delicious whiskey.
   Now let's get to the main dish, the meat and potatoes, the design. We have a beautiful green glass bottle with a classic shape (below). The label is a creamy yellow like that of aged paper and features centered information. The Jameson font is trademarked and was designed for the company by Robert Stradling. This label uses a combination of fonts ranging from serif to sans serif, a font script to a handwritten signature, and varying levels of thicknesses. In good design you can

use multiple fonts but there is a caveat. WARNING! When combining fonts there should be no more than three different fonts. There are ways to use more than three fonts and make them work but the more you add the harder it can be to use them effectively. Understand that when I say three fonts, it means that you can use all the variants of the font. So for example in Times New Roman, you can use bold, italic, bold italic, regular, and that would only count for one font.

   The logo is the Jameson family crest: an x, two anchors, a star, and a ship on a field of red. This is a great idea for a logo although it doesn’t leave much room for improvement. They use a gradient in the x that I find unnecessary but it works better than the Bacardi logo from 2002 (from my last post). With the Bacardi logo, the circle was lost in the gradient, but with Jameson's the x is contained within a thin black line. Below the logo is the family's motto, Sine Metu, which is without fear. This motto is placed on a gold banner with a heavy gradient which is not used well. The gradient is too drastic, too dark on the edges, and too light in the middle. The motto gets lost in the shadows and the banner is almost lost in the highlight. 

   Overall Jameson's Irish Whiskey is a visual as well as delectable delight. While Jameson's is not a top shelf spirit, they do have a beautiful bottle design, and a wonderful product. Jameson's uses three fonts and their variations, they have a defined logo, and a classic bottle shape. They've earned very good marks in my book and it's not just because a Jameson and Coke is my favorite drink. 

   Thanks for reading this week! Make sure to check in next week, leave your comments, and create something!

Multi-sensory Appeal Sight part 2

Happy Valentines Day everyone! Whether you’re celebrating with a special someone or treating yourself to something special make sure that you behave responsibly! For those of you who are of legal age here are some Valentine drinks to try out.

Ladies here are some Low-Calorie drink ideas: http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/healthy-drinks/16-low-cal-love-potions-valentines-day

Men you know what you like and most of you don't mind how many calories are in your drink so enjoy what you like or try something new.

So here are my four "must haves" when it comes to great logos designs.

1. BOLD- You want to have a logo what will stand out in a crowd, something that is unique, and will make people stop in their tracks and stare.

2. VERSATILE- The logo has to look good when at different sizes, like a billboard or a business card, it has to be able to inform at all sizes. It helps to make sure that your logo looks good in black and white since logos that do are generally a lot stronger and are able to work in a variety of areas. Also make sure that it works on different backgrounds or surfaces like promotional items i.e. t-shirts, hat, mugs, and key chains.

3. SIMPLE- The logo needs to effectively communicate the company's message to its customers. People don't like to take time to decode complicated logos, they want clear, and to the point information.

4. NO/LITTLE GRADIENT- This is a rule that was made to be broken. There are some great examples of logos that use gradients well, but there are a lot of instances where they are not used correctly. A great logo needs to be able to function without the aid of gimmickry, gradients add depth to the logo but a lot of great designers believe that gradients are just plain lazy.

Here we have NADARED Vodka and CIROC Vodka, both use gradients but which one uses it more effectively?

Let me say this, NADARED's name is bold and dramatic, it make a statement, and is reminiscent of an era of communism. The gradient star detracts from the impact of the font choice and the style that they are trying to portray.

Now lets get to the fun part!

Bacardi 

   Here we have Bacardi Rum and their iconic bat. The bat has been a part of the Bacardi brand since the very beginning. Facundo Bacardí Massó expanded his business to a Santiago de Cuba distillery, and in the rafters there lived a family of fruit bats. The free-tailed bat that Bacardi uses is the same kind of bat that aids sugar cane growers by eating the bugs that destroy their crops. Since the bat protects the sugar cane, which is important to Bacardi's process, they even placed the bat as the face of their brand; making it the guardian of their product.
   In 1890 the logo was black and red with a thick lined bat, from a distance not very noticeable, and nothing special to associate quality with the Bacardi name. Then the logo changed into a very complex drawing that added yellow-brown to the color mix. This logo also doesn't read well from a distance which is very important in making a killer logo. The logo introduced in 2002 has a gradient, which doesn't work in this case, the shape of the circle gets lost on the outside edge. Over time Bacardi has gotten closer and closer to the amazing logo that they have today. The bat is simple, clear, bold and cleanly accented by the yellow lines.

Cîroc
"We like ciroc
We love patrone
We came to party rock
Everybody it's on"
Shots by LMFAO

   Ciroc is an interesting vodka to say the least, they spread shock waves with their cold pressed French grape process instead of using grains or wheats to make their vodka like everyone else. 
   Ciroc uses a symbol and font combination for their logo that incorporates a perfect circle and the "Ciroc" font. This fits two of my rules: be bold and be simple, it definitely stands out on a shelf, a colored circle is pretty simple, and it looks like a button. Who can resist pushing a button? But it doesn't quite fit the bill for versatile, it has to be combined with the Ciroc name to be recognizable, without the name all they have is a circle. And there are lots of logos out there that use circles.
   Here is an instance where I am going to break out of the design world that this blog is all about and talk about flavor. It goes without saying that you have to have a product that tastes good. Ciroc has met with mixed reviews and since i've never been able to afford it I have to refer to consumer comments. What I have been able to gather is that Ciroc uses a Brand Ambassador, Sean Diddy Combs, to help sell their brand. This is a risky move in the world of advertising, famous people may have a huge fan base that will try to emulate them, but fame has its ups and downs. And that is not something you want as the base for your whole marketing strategy.   

Patrón
   Patrón is a tequila that has a truly beautiful package, from the bee to the bottle, this is a work of art. The inspiration for the logo comes from the raw materials used to make the tequila. Patrón is made from 100% Weaber Blue Agave which is pollinated by bees. The Patrón bee is an exquisite example of less is more. Their stylized bee is not obtrusive, works well with the name as well as without it, and is recognizable at any size. 
   This is a tequila that sits on the shelf and is noticed immediately, it's associated with quality, and luxury. Even if you don't buy a bottle, you still take a moment to pause and admire. At least I do!



Well that was a long post and I could go on forever! In fact look out during the week for a couple of mini posts about some other brands that I want to discuss. Thank you so much for reading, this one was a lot of fun, and I hope as always that you enjoyed reading it. Post any comments concerns or questions below and have a fun, safe, and awesome weekend!




Alyssa out!