Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/619725
150 WINES&VINES January 2016 PACKAGING of our clients want something new—new pa- pers, textures, inks and die cuts, for example." Doubleknot generates ideas from diverse sources ranging from fashion trends to street art, auto design to sports apparel, from local to international graphic design, and from his- toric architecture to artist forums, Carey said. What's not yet generally accepted, he ad- mitted, are "full-wrap labels, intricate die cuts, sculpted embossing and ring pull caps" (for beer clients). Some were not chosen because of bottling line headaches, or because wineries didn't want to incur hand-application costs. Carey said he's seen designs incorporating these potentially problematic features, and "they look striking." When searching for fresh concepts, Carey said, "We look at both domestic and interna- tional design in the wine and spirits industry as well as other lines of packaging and industrial design. We follow the work and blogs of other designers whose styles we admire. Because we have created labels for wineries in Italy and France, we work closely with their teams to uncover things we haven't seen (here) yet." Carey added that high-end boutique and larger wineries are less likely to adopt cutting- edge innovative packaging. "Innovation is in the eye of the beholder. What a high-end bou- tique feels is innovative and loves to do be- cause they are only producing 75 cases, the large wine company just can't do because they are producing 100,000-500,000 cases. If it has to be hand applied or is a production challenge, it's not even considered. The large wine com- pany (in our experience) is more interested in a well-positioned, highly concepted and cre- ative design that tells a strong brand story and isn't seen as gimmicky." Production issues and costs are perhaps the main issues that prohibit innovation, according to Carey. "At times it's a lack of vision or brand strategy." He predicts that the North American indus- try will see more innovation in the inks, paper, substrates and the merging of different applica- tions. For example: resin labels, silkscreen and paper, unusual wraps, unique neck and closure solutions. Wineries may still resist these evolu- tions if they look too contrived. Fresh off her win for Best Overall Package at W&V Pack in August, Sara Nelson of Sara Nelson Designs in Kennewick, Wash., said that she and a long-time designer sat down to remi- nisce about the packaging concepts that "could have been." The walk down memory lane sparked ideas for future brand and marketing concepts, but since they are still in the hopper, "We don't want to give them away," she said. "One thing we talked about is how many of the best ideas involve creative marketing con- cepts on top of creative packaging. A good idea can become exceptional when the entire tast- ing room experience is designed to take it to the next level." Nelson and her team are inspired by avail- able materials and packaging elements. "We like the German Kefla-Glas bottles and would love to design packaging using their glass. Unfortunately, most of their bottles are non- standard in size, which creates an expensive problem when trying to find secondary cartons and shippers. We also understand that wine shops and restaurants aren't set up to store them," Nelson said. "VinoSeal glass closures are another favor- ite. They're sophisticated and memorable. Who wouldn't keep their closure long after the wine is gone when it's that extraordinary?" And, she said, "We love the possibilities offered by Elite Label. Because Elite's parent company, GM Nameplate, makes plastic and metal signage for cars, appliances and electron- ics, they have capabilities that just can't be found elsewhere: metal labels, dome labels, electoform and more. We also love the metal embellishments offered by Apholos." "What can we do as designers to give a bottle an outrageously cool design without being weird?" Nelson asked and answered: "We have a couple of clients willing to do three- dimensional elements for their wines." Basel Cellars Estate Winery, a 7,500-case producer in Walla Walla, Wash., uses a hand- stained metal label on its top-tier package, Full-wrap labels and intricate die cuts are still rare, says designer Jim Carey of Doubleknot Creative. FROM PROMO PIECE TO REAL BRAND S peaking at the Wines & Vines Packaging Conference in August, Mill Valley, Calif.- based designer Jim Moon decried the industry's resistance to innovation. Later, he recalled the time one of his design dreams came true. "2008 wasn't a good year. The economy was in a nosedive, and customers were not buy- ing wine. With inventories stuck in warehouses, the last thing vintners considered was new package design." The reality stirred Moon to action. He created a self-promotion piece "that captured the look and feel of the economy and gave it a counterintuitive name: PRETENSE. I wanted the package to be as irreverent as possible," he said. The package features a rolled-down paper bag; the name mocked that stereotype. "My expectations were modest," Moon said. "Capture attention, generate a few smiles, and maybe vintners would think of my services." A previous client saw the promo piece and picked up the phone. Carl Doumani had worked with Moon years earlier, when he was planning promotion to mark Stag Leap Win- ery's 100th anniversary celebration in Napa. They had also worked together on behalf of a new brand for Benton-Lane Winery in Monroe, Ore. That package, featuring a rare American stamp, is still available on retail shelves. Doumani had penned a note to the designer: "We get great com- ments on our postage stamp wine. No one knows our name, just the label." With this history of successful collaboration, Doumani saw the Pretense mock-up, and made a call. Within months, Pretense labels were being applied to Doumani's 2006 Solano County Petite Syrah. "A promo piece gave birth to a real brand," Moon said. Even though finding a home for a quirky design is not always in the bag, sometimes designing dreams do come to life—and to market.