I'm very taken with cobalt blue glass, and I think using cobalt blue wine bottles for the assignment will bring class and luxury to the experience of handling a wine bottle and wine tasting. Because I do not envision cobalt blue bottles being served with a formal dinner, I believe choosing a wine that is a dessert wine or ice wine would do the most justice to the blue bottles. Dessert and ice wines are sweet and served with dessert; I believe the blue bottles paired with a dessert and a sweet tasting wine will promote a sense of luxury that wine enthusiasts will identify as a special treat. I believe a white dessert or ice wine would fit best with the blue glass because a red wine would obscure and darken the beautiful cobalt glass that could muddy the redesign and luxury experience. The long, thin necks of the blue glass bottles is classy because of the delicate nature of the bottles. I hope to purchase these bottles for my redesign.
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| Image via bonanza.com |
As far as brands to redesign go, I am hoping to find locally a bottle of Standing Stone Vineyards Dessert & Ice Wine "Vidal Ice". The Vidal Ice wine received great reviews from wine enthusiasts (especially for the price), and it's described by KensWineGuide.com as "open[ing] with a fragrant tangerine and apricot like bouquet [...that is...] pleasantly sweet, length, and very satisfying." I find the current bottle design for this wine perplexing. The bottle shape seems reminiscent of a liquor bottle, and while the typeface on the design is lovely, having to read the text sideways can be complicated when on the shelf for sale, and having the date-lable plastered on the bottle in its current nature disrupts the tone of the design with the bright blue text and large, oval white background. The label overpowers the design, and I believe it could be better integrated. Also, the design does not speak to the nature of the sweet taste of a dessert wine, and I would like to emphasis the type of wine more.
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| Image via KensWineGuide.com |
The next wine I hope to find as a potential candidate for redesign is Still River Winery Dessert & Ice Wine "Apfel Eis". In case someone did not already know, "Apfel Eise" translates in English from German as "Apple Ice" ( I took several German foreign language classes in high school). Again, Still River's Apfel Eis receieved a great review from KensWineGuide.com, and is noted as being unique in the fact that most dessert and ice wines are not commonly seen with in apple pallet. Again, KensWineGuide describes Apfel Eis as "full bodied, rich, and thick with concentrated and very sweet green apple cider like flavors". Again, I find the current design perplexing. The Still River graphic for Apfel Eis could not be more beautiful--a green apple frosted over with ice and chill. The shame in the design comes from the giant wine glass engulfing the nameplate, graphic, and accompanying text. I believe the wine glass element cheapens the look and feel of the design and does not do justice to the uniqueness of the wine itself.
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| Image via americanwinery.com |
The last candidate for a redesign is Rosenhof Gruner Veltliner Eiswein Orion, an Austrian dessert wine (and again, Eiswein translates to "ice wine"). Like the previous ice wines, Orion received a great review from winex.com. Orion's flavor is described as "apricot, pineapple, floral, and honey notes and a touch of herb and mineral in the mix". One aspect of Orion that I find interesting that the other two wines do is lend itself to a strong visual imagery; a name like Orion is powerful and mystical and can make for a strong label design. Currently, the label makes me think of Christmas Eve with the twinkle of the stars and the old gothic typography of "Rosenhof".
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| Image via bluedanubewine.com |