TheDieline.com: The Leading Package Design Blog

SKYY Infusions

"SKYY Infusions are a unique, 100% all-natural infused experience made with premium SKYY Vodka and succulent real fruit. The product of a proprietary process that captures the ‘true-to-fruit’ taste, while meeting a real consumer desire for all-natural products, SKYY Infusions launched in five mouth-watering flavors: Citrus, Cherry, Passion Fruit, Raspberry and Grape. SKYY Infusions replaces the previous SKYY Flavours range." Also, the classic SKYY bottle has been subtly redesigned, it is skinnier, taller overall, with a taller neck. Very nice way to update the SKYY brand and make it a bit more contemporary.

The Journal of Popular Noise

The Journal of Popular Noise is an audio "package" that takes the word magazine from potential obsolescence into something you may want to keep and treasure. Each edition comes in an accordion package that includes three 7-inch vinyls and is beautifully put together, letter pressed and part of a limited run of 300. It's interesting because it takes the CD packages that graphic design students so often want to do and explores music's relevance, history and future.

Isabella Smith

Isabella Smith Apothecary is a Danish company devoted to creating and marketing biodegradable cleaning products and toiletries that are safe both for the environment and the people who use them.

Several pics after the jump!

Choclatea

Choclatea, a new line by Smile Chocolatiers has clean, and fresh, packaging. The illustrations are beautiful and a fun, almost wholesome look to the line. Choclatea was designed by Clive Piercy, creative director of Air Conditioned. More pics after the jump!

Studio Spotlight: Paul Cartwright Branding

Paul Cartwright Branding is a UK-based graphic design consultancy specializing in logo design, corporate identity, packaging and branding:

More pics after the jump!

Blood, Sweat and Tiers

I recently wrote an article summarizing a presentation by Marcus Hewitt called "Branding is Like Dating." As a follow up, I'd also like to share a great article from the AIGA's website by Rob Wallace (of Wallace Church). This article clearly illustrates the opportunities and pitfalls surrounding brand extensions. As all designers know, you can have a fabulous one-off package design, but then along comes a new product and you need to figure out how to work it all together as a cohesive brand. It's not always an easy task, but Wallace's advice here is priceless.

 

Blood, Sweat and Tiers: Building Optimal Brand Identity Architectures
by Rob Wallace
June 19, 2008

Brand extensions are more than twice as likely to succeed as new brands. With mega-brands like Crest extending to more than 80 SKUs in the United States alone and over 300 products worldwide, today’s brands are not just expanding—they are hyper-proliferating.

Brand identity architectures—and the design strategies that define them—are rarely planned to accommodate this hyperbolic explosion. In an effort to differentiate their various tiers, firms may use design strategies that overstep their needs. In the best cases, these ill-planned design architectures close the door on future brand growth. In the worst cases, over-extended design architectures actually denigrate the base brand’s integrity.

Surface – by Audiovox Accessory Corp.

Thousands of surfaces. One solution.

A great looking package that fits nicely together - looks more like a men's fragrance than a tech tool.

Audiovox Accessory Corporation – Surface screen cleaner and micro fiber cloth that is perfect for removing fingerprints and debris:

for GPS devices, cell phones, PDAs, MP3 players, portable games, portable DVD screens, remote controls, digital cameras, camcorders and other electronic devices.

This solution is also good for cleaning glasses and other optic lenses. Cleaning solution is made in the USA.

• Alcohol-free and ammonia-free
• Drip-free and streak-free
• Cleaning solution is made in the USA
• Small microfiber cloth included

Chocolove

Who doesn't love chocolate? Chocolove creates premium, organic chocolate. From their website:

"The idea was simple - a selection of distinctly flavored chocolate bars made with all-natural ingredients and the classic techniques of Europe's finest chocolatiers. The package design would resemble a love letter sent from a distant land, and inside each wrapper - a classic romantic poem. The cocoa content would be clearly indicated on the front of each wrapper, the tasting notes would be simple and approachable, and the price, affordable."

Chocolove now offers limited edition "bars of origin." I love that they've taken the language of the wine-world, and have translated it to chocolate. They produced 45,000 bars for each location. And the packaging is a testament to craftsmanship and history behind each bar.

More Logan wines by War Design

From War Design: Logan Wines is a boutique winery based in Mudgee NSW. Since their launch 11 years ago, Logan wines have built a reputation for beautifully crafted wines that occupy a top-end niche position in Australia and key overseas markets including Japan and the UK. The brand’s core drinkers could be best described as investigative connoisseurs – those not afraid to try something else in the pursuit of excellence.

The outcome? The Logan identity reflects the attention to detail, personal and highly crafted approach the Logan’s take to everything they do. This is articulated through hand drawn typography, combined with playful copywriting, beautiful imagery and an attention to production and printing quality.Taking the lead from Logan’s bold and highly individual approach to winemaking, a concept based upon embroidery was chosen as an ideal metaphor to the care and effort placed into the wine. The concept required the embroidering of beautifully intricate compositions of fruits, berries, leaves and flowers to represent the textures and flavours of each varietal. These stunning representations were then rolled out across all touch points. Thanks must go to Delma - the lovely embroiderer that brought the concept to life, stitch by painstaking stitch. One very talented lady indeed!

You can see the level of craft and care that has gone into producing these labels, and it's the attention to detail that elevates these designs from being simply being beautiful into something meaningful. Just like the wine itself apparently.

The World's Most Exclusive Champagne

"Perrier-Jouët, will be launching the first tailor-made champagne in history: a Perrier-Jouët cuvée made by and for you alone. A mere one hundred people around the world will enjoy the exclusive privilege of a champagne experience devoted solely to them, over the course of an exceptional day at Perrier-Jouët’s headquarter’s the Maison Belle Époque, which has never opened its doors to the public.
Guided in person by Hervé Deschamps, the Maison’s 7th Cellar Master in a lineage dating back two centuries, the fortunate few will have the unprecedented opportunity to create their “own” personal cuvée in the privacy of our Épernay"

"Perrier-Jouët By & For is much more than simply a prestige cuvée – it is a uniquely bespoke luxury experience which incorporates:

• The rare honour of creating one’s own champagne: a made-to-measure case of 12 bottles, inspired by the Belle Époque Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2000.
• A priceless behind-the-scenes visit to Épernay, with access to the private house of Perrier-Jouët, the Maison Belle Époque, which features one of the world’s most prestigious
collections of Art Nouveau masterpieces.
• A face-to-face consultation with Hervé Deschamps, the House’s Cellar Master, who will guide the personalisation process.
• A dedicated area within the Maison’s historic cellars, where the champagne will age and mature under expert supervision.
• On each bottle, the purchaser’s signature and an authenticating co-signature of Cellar Master Hervé Deschamps."

The 12-pack "case"

The bottle was designed by émile Gallé in 1902, who is one of the artists that best represents Art Nouveau era. In 1964, a wine maker was struck by the beautiful anemone painted bottle founded in Perrier-Jouët’s cave, and decided to make special Cuvée suited for. Since then, 'Belle Epoque' has been enjoyed in all over the world, such as in Paris, London and New York, for its dominant presence of white Chardonnay grapes that offers elegant taste, and also the glamorous design of the bottle that has been known as 'Fleur de Champagne' "