Illustrative and Unique Alcohol Packing Research

To gather further understanding and inspiration, more unique and illustrative alcohol packaging was analysed.

Coffin Ridge Dry Cider:

This first product is a canned dry cider by Coffin Ridge. This design mixes a predominantly black and white illustration with splashes of red over a silver metallic tin. The black and red colour scheme suits the darker connotations of the brand Coffin Ridge and the ‘forbidden’ title of the drink itself. The illustration of the tree is in a sketch form with texture added through cross-hatching, an unusual stylistic choice for a modern brand. The crooked shape and form of the tree is eye-catching and again provides connotations of horror. By allowing the natural material to show through, the illustration appears more modern and quirky than old-fashioned. The typography varied from serif, sans serif and script. The title of ‘Forbidden’ is emphasised by its red colouring and decorative elements underneath. Below, illustrations of banners are used to separate the information and break up the red and silver with highlights of white. The alignment of the design is predominantly central and symmetrical, leading the eye down the narrow can. The effectiveness of this illustration is in the silhouette of the tree across the can and the understated sketch medium, which prevents it from appearing dated and cliché.

Insite Design (unknown) Coffin Ridge Dry Cider. Available at: http://insitedesign.ca/coffin-ridge-dry-cider/ (Accessed: 8/2/18)

Compass Box Scotch Whisky Maker:

The packaging design for this product expands from the Whisky bottle to its box, using the same illustration in a different alignment. This design has a retro feel with a three-colour palette of a turquoise, gold and black. The main illustration is in a sketched or etched style using cross-hatching to create shadows and details. The characters are coloured with gold and turquoise with the black used in the ripples of the water and plant life. This allows for the characters to stand brighter away from the background and not be swallowed by the surrounding water. Like the characters, the typography is also mainly gold, however, on the bottle outside the illustration black text is used to give information. The overall design is very busy with decorative elements added in between text and illustrations to fill the space completely. This style of design is pleasing to the eye but perhaps lacks readability in terms of the information on the label. Most of the typography on the design is hand written to appear integrated into the illustration rather than sit above. This creates a unique value to the design with an appearance of more effort made into the product. This design doesn’t follow a single alignment, with the typography scattered around the label. However, on the box the increase of space allows for a more organised design which does align somewhat centrally. The three-colour palette is bold but simple and could be used in the project to compliment a busier and scattered illustration. The mix of matte turquoise and metallic gold provides a higher quality finish and appealing palette.

Stranger Stranger (unknown) Compass Box The Double Single. Available at: http://www.strangerandstranger.com/the-double-single/ (Accessed: 8/2/18)

Liquid Advent Tafts Beer:

This product is a can with the design wrapped around the surface, therefore, as seen in the image, can be arranged together to provide the full illustration. This design uses the natural metal of the can to give the background colour and metallic finish. Designed for holiday season, the design features Father Christmas in his sled, in this case a bath. The illustration is traditionally rendered with black crosshatched shading and subdued colours. This traditional design appeals to the connotations of Tafts as an established and trusted brand. The background of the scene features a gradient of white rooftops and heavy snow, providing detail but due to the lack of colour, doesn’t detract from the main figure of the design. The design uses multiple typefaces, the most noticeable a vertically aligned serif with script style accents on the initials. This text uses a red fill to match the suit of Father Christmas, a white outline and then a surrounding black outline and drop shadow, lifting it from the background. This illustration is successful in capturing the age of the brand with a traditional design that still adapts to the modern world. This presents the options available when designing for cans and smaller scale bottles.

1 Trick Pony (2016) Liquid Advent, Tafts Brewery. Available at: http://1trickpony.com/#work/tafts (Accessed: 8/2/18)

The Prisoner Derange:

This design is very minimalist and understated. Using the concept of someone ‘deranged’ counting with etched tallies, presumably in a prison wall, they have recreated this design with etchings on the bottle.  The bottle is black with the etchings a lighter grey or white, creating a sense of the dark and deranged. A gradient is also created by varying the size of the tally etchings, making them more compact at the bottom and more spaced and larger at the top. This is an example of a design with more complex storytelling yet a minimalist style.

Stranger Stranger (unknown) The Prisoner. Available at: http://www.strangerandstranger.com/the-prisoner/ (Accessed: 8/2/18)

BLOCD Wine Bottle Cover:

This design was created as a gift for the company’s clients to commemorate their moving buildings. The design is printed onto a paper cover wrapped and tied around the bottle, a novel method of outer advertising. The illustration is in the form of a comic strip with each row representing a change of floor in the new building. The illustration is black and white with the only shading applied to the borders of the building and type at the top. This simple design is modern and unique, presenting the brand as modern and fresh.

BLOCD. (2015) Wine Bottle. Available at: http://blocd.com/en/works/wine-bottle/ (Accessed: 8/2/18)

Tafts Old Wooden Tooth:

This design focuses not only on the illustration and design elements but also material and texture. The label on this bottle has a matte grain texture imitating wood with the printed colour slightly imperfect. To connect with this ‘wood’ element of the brand, the outer box for this product is wooden with a sliding lid. Burned into the wood is the logo of the brand and illustration of pliers to give the box a natural decoration. The colour scheme of the label is black, white and a beige to match the wood of the box. This simple colour selection appeals to the natural connotations of the wood and creates contrast between the white tooth and silhouette of the portrait below. This effect uses negative space to create the two images, the portrait used to create the root of the tooth. This design illustrates the possibilities in not only illustration but also the higher quality presented in the use of texture.

1 Trick Pony (2016) Old Wooden Tooth, Tafts Brewery. Available at: http://1trickpony.com/#work/tafts (Accessed: 8/2/18)