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102 WINES&VINES November 2016 PACKAGING "We are involved from the very beginning, developing a concept that considers the cli- ent's goals," said Darcey Lacy, founder of Wa- termark Design. The firm also helps determine capsule color and design—and sometimes even the bottle. "We believe the wine bottle as a whole is the product, not just the label," Lacy said. Custom lettering is often paired with custom illustration and, she said, it's best for someone who wants to invest in making their product truly one of a kind. Va Vino, a sparkling wine from Virginia's Hamlet Vineyards, encourages celebration with youthful elegance, using hand-lettering and gold foil for a playful, modern aesthetic. Once you have a designer original, immor- talize it. Often overlooked, bottle shots are an important piece of wine marketing strategy that are useful for online ordering, sharing with distributors, retailers and the media. A clear, high-resolution bottle shot tells viewers a story, and storytelling is crucial in wine sales. Washington state designer Sara Nelson started providing professional bottle shots for her own website and marketing materials seven years ago, and she has since invested in cameras, lenses and lighting gear to avoid "template" bottle shots. She discovered that some design clients had problems getting properly lit bottle shots cap- tured from the correct angle and free of un- wanted reflections. Using Photoshop to eliminate imperfections takes a great deal of time and expense. Once clients saw Nelson's customized shots, they began to request some of their own. Depending on the intended use, bottle shots can capture the bottle alone or, with context including props and sets, can become "bottle portraits." "An excellent bottle shot protects the per- ceived value of the product. A bad picture wastes a great deal of the investment in impact and perceived value of the wine. Investing in high-quality, sophisticated packaging to sug- gest $50 of red wine, then using a lousy picture that makes it look like a $7 bottle of who- knows-what, makes no sense," Nelson said. Dress the bottle The most traditional bottle décor involves one or more paper labels. Materials continue to evolve—as have printing options, includ- ing foils, embossing and debossing. Ohio- based MPI Label Systems previewed a hinged Professional bottle shots like this one from Sara Nelson Design ensure bottles appear their best. Watermark Design's hand lettering can be made into a vector for labels and marketing collateral. www.walterjelly.com 608.831.1405 whj wine print.indd 1 2/6/13 5:59:47 PM SERVING THE WINE INDUSTRY FOR OVER 20 YEARS! Contact info Ph: 201-599-0909 Fax: 201-599-9888 Web Page www.labelsolutions.net East Coast 151 W Passaic St, 2nd Fl Rochelle Park, NJ 07662 West Coast 854 18th Street #3 Santa Monica, CA 90403 We provide our customers with what they need not what we have to sell We are an independent solutions provider for pressure sensitive labels. We research your requirements and find the perfect solution. We match your design, printing process, stock, delivery schedule and manufacture to your needs.