Packaging

Wine Packaging Comes of Age

By Delphine Hirasuna | February 12, 2014September 4, 2014

Only a few decades ago, a common belief was that the more contemporary the design of the label, the more mediocre the quality of the wine inside. The legendary luxury wines of Europe remained faithful to the centuries-old tradition of featuring labels with ornate script lettering, fine line engravings of chateaus, gold foil borders and corks sealed and stamped with red wax. Only upstart nouveau wineries in places like California ignored proper wine labeling etiquette by hiring graphic designers to come up with something colorful and stylish.

But perceptions have changed. Fine wines are being sold in supermarkets, online and even Costco. Wines from around the world compete for consumer attention and shelf space. The assumption that bottles with traditional labels contain better wine no longer has validity. Wine packaging and labels are projecting unique brand personalities, and not shying away from presenting a look that is bold and innovative.

Brand Logos

Moving the Edges of Logo Design

By Delphine Hirasuna | June 2, 2011September 4, 2014

Current TV, the media company started by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and businessman Joel Hyatt, has launched a new logo designed by Wolff Olins and animation house GHAVA. Replacing the static pixelated identity created by Meta Design and Peter Saville in 2005 (contemporary for its time), the waving Current logo is meant to be viewed in motion, or at least to imply that it is in motion. Unlike traditional logos, the Current identity takes advantage of the technological capabilities of the broadcast medium. Dropped out of whatever background is behind it, the name undulates like a flag, leaving the borders and proportions loosely defined. The logo itself uses a familiar compressed modern gothic font and foregoes any use of proprietary colors. As flat graphics, it’s pretty simple. What makes it special is that movement isn’t used as an afterthought, but as the essence of its uniqueness.

Publishing

Little White Lies – About How a Magazine Is Made

By Delphine Hirasuna | February 4, 2011September 4, 2014

This is a video about the making of a magazine that is about the making of films. Little White Lies (LWLies) is an independent British film magazine produced by The Church of London creative agency. In 2001, while at university studying graphic design, Danny Miller co-founded Little White Lies as a final degree project. His 17-year-old friend Matthew Bochenski wrote the content. Miller then moved to London to work on a skate and snowboard magazine called Adrenalin, but kept thinking about making Little White Lies for real. Finally in 2005, he produced the first issue and since then LWLies has become a bi-monthly magazine with a print run of about 2,500 copies, distributed in Borders stores in the UK. The design and editorial content of each issue is inspired by a single film – in this case “Black Swan” – and features an illustration of the lead actor on the cover. In 2008, LWLies won “Best Designed Consumer Magazine of the Year” at the Magazine Design & Journalism Awards. What’s great about this “making of” LWLies video is that it covers the focus, teamwork, deadline pressure and ultimate satisfaction of starting from rough sketches to holding the finished product in your hands. Ah joy! Although online has its advantages, there is nothing quite as wonderful as seeing your work reproduced with ink on paper.