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20 Ornate Vintage-Inspired Packaging Designs to Induce Nostalgia

by Elizabeth Freeman on 02/23/2017 | 27 Minute Read

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The old is new again. We've been seeing lots of designs that are inspired by the aesthetic of the past, whether it's vintage block type contrasted with hand lettering, blind embossed background patterns, ornate crests, or lithographic illustrations. Take a look back to the past with some of our favorite vintage-inspired packaging designs.

Learn more about the other big design trends for 2017.


Beautiful Delicate Macaron Packaging

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There’s something about intricate gold detailing that makes a macaron all the more special. Designed by Blow, this luxurious Parisian macaron is elevated with packaging complementing the flavors of citrus, cocoa, vanilla, and berry. Colored boxes are adorned with gold foiling adding a touch of sophistication and elegance. 

Designed by Blow

Country: Hong Kong

Beau Cacao Chocolate is Almost too Pretty to Eat (Almost)

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If you are looking for a chocolate that will satisfy both your sweet tooth and your artistic eye, you have to check out Beau Cacao. Founded by Bo San Cheung and Thomas Delcour in 2013, Beau Cacao is a London-based chocolate company bringing an exciting new twist to the burgeoning bean-to-bar chocolate scene by sourcing single estate cacao beans directly from growers in Malaysia.

Designed by Socio Design

Chocolate Bar Design: Adam Gill

Country: United Kingdom

Pepsi Launches Limited Edition Commemorative Super Bowl LI Can

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Super Bowl is an event like no other. That’s why Pepsi wanted to create a can that would blow its competitors out of the water. What started as a single commemorative can grew into a Houston-wide activation, with designs on billboards, tour buses and recycling bins. With the help of Theory House and Illustration Matt Stevens, The Pepsico Design & Innovation Center created a design that will last forever in the Hall of Fame. 

The can features a matte black finish with hand-tooled line art to celebrate the event and deliver a premium commemorative offering.

Designed by Pepsico Design & Innovation Center

Partnered with: Theory House

Illustrations: Matt Stevens

Country: United States

Gorgeous Vegan Chocolate Packaging

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Chocolate so good you can’t take your hands off it. Designed by Gintar? Ribikauskait? for Lithuanian brand Arc, packaging for this sweet treat is breathtaking. With hand-drawn typography these packages is to convey the winter and holiday spirit achieved using gold foil and filigree. 

Designed by Gintar? Ribikauskait? 

Country: Lithuania

Celebrate Inebriation Day With this Alcoholiday Gift Set

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In honor of this year's Inebriation Day...oops we meant Inauguration Day, 1 Trick Pony designed this special gift set to help get you through the day. These two special edition bottles come together to make up one image, complete with elegant details such as metallic foil and a branded label placed cleverly to the side. 

Designed by 1 Trick Pony

Country: United States

The Luxurious Spirit of Monte-Carlo

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There’s always something to celebrate with the luxurious spirit of Monte-Carlo. Designed by Hangar Design Group, champagne is embellished with gold foil accents and fancy typography. In an ultramarine blue or pearlescent gold, each bottle is truly extraordinary with a quilted pattern of the brand’s initials.

Designed by Hangar Design Group

Country: Italy

Elegant Details in CherryHills Market Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar Packaging

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Designed by Jenny Pfost, this line of Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegars uses filigree and intricate typography to best represent the fruitful notes in each product. A contrast of playful color pops and dark vintage design indices the consumer creating a sense of dynamism.

Designed by Jenny Pfost

Country: United States

Get Glam with Paponk POET Soothing Lip Color Packaging

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Look and feel beautiful with Get Glam’s new line of soothing lipsticks. Designed by goninetyone, this makeup brand will give you just the right amount of “peppiness” in your step. With an elegant crest as the centerpiece and a navy and turquoise plaid pattern as the background these lipsticks are a must in any girl’s makeup bag. 

Designed by goninetyone

Country: Thailand

A Whiskey to Toast to Your Hopes & Dreams

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A whiskey that’s been long in the making has finally hit stores in 2016. The founders of Hopes & Dreams have worked tirelessly to produce something they where proud of and with the combined efforts of The Well Established Co. and randomly selected casks, an “Old Enough” Whiskey was born. 

Designed by Chad Michael Studio

Country: United States

Drink Up the Oldest Spirit of France: Cyrano Armagnac

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Based on the real life character from 17th century France, this spirit truly embodies the love story of Cyrano and Roxanne. Designed by Sand Creative, detailed gothic typography runs from edge to edge on the bottle while gold foil creates a halo around the age. A hand dipped wax cork gives the brand its authenticity complementing the traditional nature of the overall design. 

Designed by Sand Creative

Country: United Kingdom

Vibrant Italian-Inspired Packaging for Louise Fili Brillante Pencils

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For years Louise Fili has been captivating us with her beautiful vintage-inspired typography and this piece is no exception. Designed on the box of color pencils, this is a great gift for any artist friend of yours. The theme is metallic elegance and it’s a far cry from the colored pencils we normally see packaged in bright colors. 

Designed by Louise Fili Ltd

Country: United States

Get a Refreshing Perspective with Beau Nash Craft Beer

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Start your weekend a little bit early with Beau Nash’s craft beer. Designed by JDO Brand & Design, this beer is packaged like no other. With an elaborately designed label that can be read upside down and right side up, this design is though to the very last detail.  The blue details are rich and vibrant and the wax seal over the top of the bottle contributes to a more traditional feel, speaking to the age-old brewing process.

Designed by JDO Brand & Design

Country: United States

Premium Playing Cards Courtesy of Neil Patrick Harris

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Anyone for up for a game of blackjack? Designed by Theory 11 in collaboration with Neil Patrick Harris, these deck of cards are jaw-dropping. Elegant, intricate, and stunning, every inch of this deck was handcrafted with the utmost attention to detail. Inspired by art deco design, geometric patterns embellished with gold leaf create structure to the packaging and send the consumer to fantastical era of the 1920s. 

Designed by Theory 11

Art Direction: Neil Patrick Harris

Country: United States

Archie Rose Virgin Cane Spirit – Limited Release No. 1

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Virgin Can Spirit released it’s first Limited Edition product from Archie Rose. Inspired by French Colonial Rums of old, Squad Ink packaged this rare-spirit-making tradition in a glass bottle wrapped with a label that gives the consumer a closer look at the journey from harvest to distillation. 

Designed by Squad Ink

Country: Australia

Thinking Tree Spirits

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Inspired by Late Baroque mirrors, Hired Guns Creative created packaging for Thinking Tree Spirits that is ridiculously gorgeous. To create a highly dimensional package, a pop of purple foil and a colorful ornate frame raised to its highest relief with sculptured embossment was applied to take the spirit to the next level. 

Designed by Hired Guns Creative

Country: United States

Boodles Mulberry

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A toast to this 171-year-old gin maker! With its remarkable passion for creating the best concoction of mulberries, raspberries, and currents, Boodles has continued to capture the hearts and glasses of party animals everywhere. The “sweet and subtle” liqueur can be enjoyed both warm and cold. Packaged with the same love as their other flavors, the beautiful glass structure is fitted with a metal top and embellished with a marbled purple and blue piece of art. 

Designed by Boodles

Country: United Kingdom

Bisto, Oxo & Paxo Limited Edition Tins

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Want to beautify your pantry. Fill it up with Premier Foods’ Limited Edition Tins. Designed by Robots Food, these gorgeous coffee tins are something consumers would proudly display in their kitchens, and either keep for refills, or reuse for other purposes. Decked out in two shades, a vibrant red and electric blue, the packaging is striking and is playfully inspired by the Union Jack and London skyline. Perfect for all roasts, this line is definitely something to look out for at your local Tesco. 

Designed by Robot Food

Country: United Kingdom

Campo Bravo Tequila

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Great for the cold or warm season, Campo Bravo Tequila should be a staple in everybody’s liquor cabinet. Designed by Stranger & Stranger, intricate illustrations and designs is what makes this packaging so special. Inspiration was taken form Mexican art to create the patterns that envelope the snarling wolf. The glass is raised at the back of the bottle to form a second wolf with teeth and claws in defense mode. Splashes of turquoise add in just the right amount of bright color, allowing the fine details to stand out even more.

Designed by Stranger & Stranger

Country: United States

Hall & Marciniak Wine

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If you're looking for an extra special wine to toast the evening with, check out Hall & Marciniak Wine. Designed by Swindler & Swindler, the packaging for this sparkling bottle will leave you breathless. Subtle yet elaborate filigree runs across the entire label along with the wine's name and vineyard of origin framing the design in gold. The embellishments are printed in such a way that takes a quite traditional bottle of wine to a more modern appeal.

Designed by Swindler & Swindler

Country: France

Coda Brewing Co.

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Cheers to new beginnings and great beer. Designed by Varnish Studio, packaging for this beer series is out of this world. With vintage written all over it, Coda Brewing Co. takes pride in their long-lived tradition. Each style is bottled in a beautiful structure embellished with floral and botanical illustrations framed around gold. The metallic ink finds its way on the back of the label outlining the brand’s inspirational story. A signature of the founder “seals the deal” offering the consumer a sense of quality and certainty that this beer is where it’s at. 

Designed by Varnish Studio

Country: United States