TheDieline.com: Package Design

Oloves

Lovely packaging with a nice idea for Olives. Designed by Cowan in London. More after the jump.

Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur

I saw this Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur bottle (on left) in the NY Times recently and was intrigued by the clever way in which the designer turned the bottle’s “punt” into a credible (but inaccessible) juice squeezer. It appears to be the work of London-based Stranger & Stranger.

The original purpose of “punts” (those concave depressions usually found on the underside of wine bottles) is endlessly debated, but unless one is an aficionado of vintage wines—one might tend to feel that the only intention is to make the bottle look bigger than its actual capacity.

Turning this negative space into an interesting feature, certainly helps to dispel any such lingering suspicions. How many other bottles are out there that make the “punt” into something else?

I remember recently on the Dieline seeing the Lanjaron Water bottle with an iceberg-shaped punt. And I found one other example: this Absolut Mandarin bottle (on the right) from around 1999.

There must be plenty of other bottles out there that make interesting use of this negative space. What am I missing?

box vox

Grind Coffee

Grind Coffee, a spectacular senior thesis by Talia Cohen of Rhode Island School of Design. The packaging is flavor/strength and color/number coded.

Loimu

Loimu is a stylish, limited-edition bottle design created by Trust Creative Society spotted in Finnish stores. Loimu a product of Lignell&Piispanen is a Finnish vintage mulled wine flavored with raspberry and clove.

J. Hampton Apothecary

Great work from Jim Hargreaves:

"I developed the J. Hampton Apothecary packaging and brand as a high-end line of men's shaving products. Inspired by the Industrial Era and the days of apothecaries and patent medicine, the design expresses a sense of tradition and genuine quality - the perfect fit for today's discerning gentleman."

Monbana Chocolate Cube

Monbana, a French chocolatier, has recently introduced a very unique chocolate gift item designed for entertaining or food service. Le Cube à chocolat de Monbana is a reusable cube shaped receptacle that holds different flavored chocolate thins. The format is innovative as a way of serving chocolate thins, which tend to lay flat if served on a plate or tray. This makes them more interesting.

On a side note, years ago I used to design and coordinate the trade show exhibit for the chocolate company I used to work for, Astor Chocolate. Since they do a lot of small, customized chocolate thins (similar to those shown above) for various hotels and resorts in the US, they exhibited at a hotel-related show in NYC every year. We had the same  challenge every year - how to showcase the many beautiful wrappers customized for the various hotels. A couple of us eventually came up with the idea of gluing them onto a rotating cube that turned on one corner. We had a custom-built cube with a slow-turning motor in the base to hold the chocolates and it was a real show stopper. The design of Monbana's cube kind of reminded me of that display we built. I'm glad to see the very same structure here, in a different setting and with a different use in mind.

One other aspect about this product is that the cube is reusable. You can give this as an impressive gift, and the recipient can order refills later on, making this a real keepsake item. Reusability in packaging is a very sustainable idea.

More images follow.

Brand & Packaging Development, Nupo

Here are some finished packaging along with die lines, logo's and inspiration (some after the jump).
Work is by Muggie Ramadani.

several more after the jump

Studio Spotlight: Dizen

Dizen in a design firm in Argentina that specializes in packaging for wine and spirits. Their restrained, elegant approach is apparent in most of their designs. Although their work isn't edgy, it's well done and very appropriate for the wine industry. They've also done some body care products, which I thought were tastefully done, too.

More images follow...