Comments on: Whats in a label? http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/ A blog about starting and building a family winery in the Russian River Valley. Sat, 26 Jun 2010 04:31:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: pinotblogger » Our Story So Far http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/comment-page-1/#comment-124 pinotblogger » Our Story So Far Thu, 19 Jan 2006 21:52:00 +0000 http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/#comment-124 [...] Soon after we turned our attention toward creating our label, and we are currently in the middle of that process. We have a logo designed by the wonderful Dayna, AKA The Calligraphy Lady whose exquisite hand lettering has been featured in magazines such as Martha Stewart, Better Homes and Gardens and Cosmo. She created a couple of great logos for us; so good in fact we couldn’t decide between them. So, being a blogger, I placed them both on the blog and asked for feedback. We received lots, as well as other helpful suggestions that made it quite easy for us to make our final decision. Currenly we are designing our label, iterations of which we will be posting for comment shortly. [...] [...] Soon after we turned our attention toward creating our label, and we are currently in the middle of that process. We have a logo designed by the wonderful Dayna, AKA The Calligraphy Lady whose exquisite hand lettering has been featured in magazines such as Martha Stewart, Better Homes and Gardens and Cosmo. She created a couple of great logos for us; so good in fact we couldn’t decide between them. So, being a blogger, I placed them both on the blog and asked for feedback. We received lots, as well as other helpful suggestions that made it quite easy for us to make our final decision. Currenly we are designing our label, iterations of which we will be posting for comment shortly. [...]

]]> By: Josh http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/comment-page-1/#comment-47 Josh Fri, 16 Dec 2005 20:51:09 +0000 http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/#comment-47 wineguy - Sweet! Love the wine labels page. Mike - (great site by the way) I have an intense appreciation for good design, I love everything to do with the wine asthetic. And someday I hope we have a line item inour budget for label design that includes a payment to a firm like CF/NAPA. Right now though, all of our stuff will be handcrafted (cliche alert!) in every sense. Hopefully we can do better <a href="http://www.grape-nutz.com/soldiers/labels/color.html">than this</a> at least! wineguy – Sweet! Love the wine labels page.

Mike – (great site by the way) I have an intense appreciation for good design, I love everything to do with the wine asthetic. And someday I hope we have a line item inour budget for label design that includes a payment to a firm like CF/NAPA. Right now though, all of our stuff will be handcrafted (cliche alert!) in every sense. Hopefully we can do better than this at least!

]]> By: Mike Duffy http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/comment-page-1/#comment-46 Mike Duffy Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:15:39 +0000 http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/#comment-46 When you're small, you don't have to worry about how your label works on a store shelf (go into Molsberry Market or Safeway in Santa Rosa and take a look at a couple hundred bottles side-by-side on a shelf) - but it's something to keep in mind for later. The purpose (IMHO) is to visually distinguish wines from your winery in the mind of the people who buy it and recommend it to their friends. Something authentic and (perhaps) clever, that people will remember and talk about (see Seth Godin's <em>Purple Cow</em>) And I think it should be fun. When you’re small, you don’t have to worry about how your label works on a store shelf (go into Molsberry Market or Safeway in Santa Rosa and take a look at a couple hundred bottles side-by-side on a shelf) – but it’s something to keep in mind for later.

The purpose (IMHO) is to visually distinguish wines from your winery in the mind of the people who buy it and recommend it to their friends. Something authentic and (perhaps) clever, that people will remember and talk about (see Seth Godin’s Purple Cow)

And I think it should be fun.

]]> By: wineguy http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/comment-page-1/#comment-45 wineguy Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:01:31 +0000 http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/#comment-45 I just found this page: <a href="http://www.grape-nutz.com/soldiers/labelscans.html" rel="nofollow">Wine Labels</a>. This guy has scanned his collection of wine labels and put them up. Click on Label Index for a list of all of them. I just found this page: Wine Labels. This guy has scanned his collection of wine labels and put them up. Click on Label Index for a list of all of them.

]]> By: Josh http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/comment-page-1/#comment-36 Josh Fri, 16 Dec 2005 02:16:14 +0000 http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/#comment-36 wineguy - That’s exactly what we're doing. I coughed up for Icon: The Art Of The Wine Label and have gotten a few good ideas. The most compelling of which is that Etude, Flowers, Stag's Leap Winery etc are simple, elegant, and inexpensive. Adam - I did see that article. Small producers like us can do very little else besides niche marketing (target-market strategy) though. Our best bet is PR and direct contact with consumers. You're absolutely right that consumers make a decision based on wines that they know. That’s part of the reason I write this blog, to try and introduce our brand to wine lovers. I also just love writing about wine! Thanks for the advice from an industry pro! wineguy – That’s exactly what we’re doing. I coughed up for Icon: The Art Of The Wine Label and have gotten a few good ideas. The most compelling of which is that Etude, Flowers, Stag’s Leap Winery etc are simple, elegant, and inexpensive.

Adam – I did see that article. Small producers like us can do very little else besides niche marketing (target-market strategy) though. Our best bet is PR and direct contact with consumers. You’re absolutely right that consumers make a decision based on wines that they know. That’s part of the reason I write this blog, to try and introduce our brand to wine lovers. I also just love writing about wine!

Thanks for the advice from an industry pro!

]]> By: Adam http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/comment-page-1/#comment-34 Adam Thu, 15 Dec 2005 23:21:22 +0000 http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/#comment-34 Did you see the article in Winebusiness about different types of wine consumers? It does relate to bottle design because the label communicates to the customer what your attitude is about wine. You might take into consideration what your various designs might "say" to the different types of wine buyers. Is it very serious, is it very goofy and fun, it is comforting and homey, is it pretentious. Think Bonny Doon, their labels perfectly reflect their attitude. Consumers make a decision about a wine based on what they know. If they can't taste it before buying it, then their mind uses whatever information is can gather (price, varietal, where it's made, and the attitude of the label.) They make a decision based on that. By the way, I don't work for the company that did the research for Constellation, but that is the business I am in- consumer segmentation and brand management. (shoot me.) http://winebusiness.com/html/InsiderCover.cfm Did you see the article in Winebusiness about different types of wine consumers? It does relate to bottle design because the label communicates to the customer what your attitude is about wine. You might take into consideration what your various designs might “say” to the different types of wine buyers. Is it very serious, is it very goofy and fun, it is comforting and homey, is it pretentious.

Think Bonny Doon, their labels perfectly reflect their attitude.

Consumers make a decision about a wine based on what they know. If they can’t taste it before buying it, then their mind uses whatever information is can gather (price, varietal, where it’s made, and the attitude of the label.) They make a decision based on that.

By the way, I don’t work for the company that did the research for Constellation, but that is the business I am in- consumer segmentation and brand management. (shoot me.)

http://winebusiness.com/html/InsiderCover.cfm

]]> By: wineguy http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/comment-page-1/#comment-32 wineguy Thu, 15 Dec 2005 21:23:45 +0000 http://pinotblogger.com/2005/12/15/whats-in-a-label/#comment-32 My advice is to look at lots and lots of labels while you think about yours. There's a lot to be said for bold labels with simple graphic or typographic elements -- look at Ridge, for example, or Foxen. I think you are right that you don't have to spend $20K on label design. My advice is to look at lots and lots of labels while you think about yours. There’s a lot to be said for bold labels with simple graphic or typographic elements — look at Ridge, for example, or Foxen. I think you are right that you don’t have to spend $20K on label design.

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