Initial Alcohol Packaging Research and Analysis

To begin this project, I began looking at alcohol packaging I had in my home, to get a first impression of alcohol commonly purchased by a working class consumer. This alcohol is often purchased from a supermarket rather than bought from a distillery or directly from the brand, and is sold at the lower end of the market, which is reflected in the design.

Plum Brandy ‘Sljiva’:

This Serbian Plum Brandy is the most expensive of the examples, which is evident in the glass bottle that has a unique shape with a glass stopper in the top. The glass is moulded with a dimple in the centre of the front and back. Similar, to the vodka bottle, this design has a black striped background with gold and white type. The label includes a circle layered with a scroll design in gold. It also has a label around the neck and on the back in the same colour scheme. This resembles an Art Deco design, with simple use of shapes and stripes with a sunrise pattern. The stopper has a strip of sticker attached at the top to the neck to be broken when first opened. The packaging for this design predominantly focuses on the shape of the bottle and the liquid inside, keeping the labels small and unobtrusive. More design could be added to these labels to give more visual insight into the brand and a more eye-catching aesthetic.

Russian Standard Vodka:

Russian Standard Vodka has a type heavy design with only the logo and foliage pattern embossed into the label. The label is predominantly a black matte with a lustre over the flower pattern, the type in a contrasting white with a gold border. The colours are plain with the most impact given to the Cyrillic text and the frosted bottle. The bottle also features a moulded frame around the label. There is little illustration other than the pattern and logo, keeping the main impact the Russian origin. Like other bottles, the top of the cap has the circular logo with an illustration of an eagle and wolf. The back of the bottle is filled with type and the origin story of the brand, with their website. On a separate label, they have included the HM Revenue & Customs stamp, alcohol limits and distribution and manufacturer, so not to clutter the decorative backing. There is little decoration on these labels, with only the discreet pattern and gold elements.

Blossom Hill ‘Zinfandel’:

The designs for Blossom Hill bottles are often harmonised with the colour and flavour of their individual drinks. This bottle focuses on the pale pink/red of the drink, with the overall scheme pink/peach, gold and white. The front label has a simple design, predominantly white with a small gradient pattern in the bottom left corner. This pattern features flowers and grapes in a pale orange, barely noticeable without looking closely. This pattern has a hand-drawn style with the strokes feathered. Bordering this design, they have used gold against the white. This is echoed in the flower that forms the logo, which also has a slight pink gradient to add detail to the petals. The typography is a mixture of black and a peach colour, with this reserved to the brand name, product name and a small description at the footer of the logo. This front label is much narrower than the back, with most the information reserved for that section. This back label includes the ingredients, description, alcohol limits, recycling information etc. The type on the reverse is black on a white label, the only decoration being small gold lines, dividing the information. The most interesting aspect of this bottle design is the embossed foil on the neck of the wine. This white foil uses the Blossom Hill initials in a script repeated to make a pattern, sealed at the base with a gold label. They have inverted the commonly gold foil that seals the cap with the white label, creating a unique and eye-catching design, which adds to the fresh peachy design.

Cointreau:

This Cointreau bottle has a short neck and rectangular shape with a tinted brown/orange glass. The sides of the bottle feature the name of the creator moulded into the glass. Following the primary ingredient of the product, the main colour scheme is orange. The main title label uses a copper or metallic orange backing with a white and red outline. The design of the label alludes to it coming off of the bottle, using a zig-zag shape it gradually increases in size, giving movement and impact. The logo type is in black with a white outline separating from the copper backing. This label is aligned at the top of the tall slim main label, appearing like separate elements but actually printed in one. This label design is very simple with a vintage appearance. The main decoration is a stripe pattern created using orange lines with a small point size. This pattern then reaches a diamond design in the same style. The bulk of the label is centre-aligned with the text spaced equally down the label. This arrangement is then followed by an arched type, arranged around the signature of the creator of the drink, highlighted in a gold script. The design also varies between serif and sans serif typefaces. This design has impact and a design that matches the age of the bottle design.

Malbec:

This drink uses the traditional wine bottle shape with the frontage filled with a large narrow label. The front label is scalloped around the edge showing attention to small details. This design uses a large border as the focus of the decoration, the line work in a red metallic. The design uses arcs and strokes to add detail, forming an ornate and Art Deco design. The other design detail it features is a wax stamp in the lower centre of the bottle. Aside from these, the rest of the space is filled with type. The design features serif, sans serif and script typefaces with different scales and alignment. The colours vary from primarily black to an accent of red and grey. The label itself is a matte off-white or cream paper giving age to the design.

Through this research, it is clear that these designs are typography focused, with little decoration other than their logos. There is a focus on using gold and metallic to provide a higher quality finish and the impression of luxury. More emphasis is placed on the bottle designs for these brands, using unique shapes and moulded and tinted glass. To continue this research, I will now investigate more illustration and design heavy packaging designs to gain more inspiration for the project.