Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/297564
38 W i n e s & V i n e s M AY 2 0 1 4 W hen wineries have grown enough to become estab- lished brands, the time inevitably comes that someone wants to rede- sign the packaging. The blessings of success and market recogni- tion come with implied demands for change, be it to keep pace with current trends or expand product lines. Redesigning a package that's been work- ing for your company comes with inherent risks. Here, leading package designers describe how best to meet these challenges, and well-established wineries reflect on their most recent redesign experiences. First, what prompts winery owners to revise their designs? David Schuemann, president of CF Napa and author of the book 99 Bottles of Wine, enumerated what motivates clients. He said that, typically: i Sales are lagging. i New competitors have entered the marketplace and are threatening brand space. i Brand hierarchy creates confusion between tiers/offerings of wine within the brand. i The winery desires or plans to intro- duce a price increase. i Packaging production requirements have changed, or new SKUs are being added, and it provides an opportunity to revisit the packaging in conjunction with production changes. i There has been a change internally that they want to signify exter- nally. For instance: increased quality of the wine via sourc- ing, winemaking or new ownership. David Hanson-Jerrard at 4Parts Design in Sausalito, Calif., added his take on the major decisive issues: i Adjustment of brand focus, due either to a change in channel focus or a change in FOB pricing because of changes in grape sourcing. i Expansion of a brand by adding line or tier extensions. i Updating a design due to the current packaging being out- dated versus the market, and the desire to stand apart from the competition. You've got the itch: Now what? Taking the experts' advice to heart, if you've got legitimate reasons to revise your packaging, what should you do— or not do? Schuemann cautioned, "Generally speaking, we find it easily as challenging to transition an existing brand's packag- ing and branding as creating a new brand from scratch." His firm must learn if the current packaging is performing correctly among the various channels through which it is sold. Some wineries, he noted, may have an established "house look" that may not be appropriate for all situations. "Since we build our brands and designs based on strategy versus pure aesthetics, our solu- tions and designs are as varied as the per- sonalities of the brands themselves." When It's Time to Redesign How designers and wineries collaborate to revamp and refresh wine packaging By Jane Firstenfeld Highlights • Reasons for a packaging redesign include adding SKUs or differentiating multiple tiers offered by the winery. • Packaging redesigns are often more complicated than the original design; getting a designer involved early can make the redesign process smoother and quicker. • One of the first steps in redesign is determining which components of the current design—colors, styles, features, fonts—are static, flexible or should be excluded. Distributors and retailers reacted positively when J. Pedroncelli Winery traded its dated packaging (left) for an elegant look (right). C O V E R S T O R Y