ok…

ok…

I think what I wrote was “complete identity design,” not simply label design, for 50K. I’m told by friends that that type of price is in line with what they paid as well, but if I’m so far off base as to be laughable, I’ll gladly update the post with a more accurate price range. The figures I got were from discussions at the Davis OIV Wine marketing course, not from anyone at CF Napa, so I could very well be wrong.

As for Sea Smoke, fantastic design no doubt. But for there to be any real case for trademark or copyright violation Seasmoke would have to make the case that they own rights to all swirlies on wine labels. Our hand-crafted font looks nothing like the one you talented folks created. Likewise, the swirlies are not intended to mimic fog or smoke, they are simply there to frame the font.

I’m surprised at the hostility and charges of being unethical. In any event, Seasmoke certainly has nothing to fear from our small brand, and CF Napa I’m sure is doing fine without our business. Thanks for the comments and best wishes for continued success.

For anyone interested in the what CF Napa really charges feel free to give me a call. We base our pricing on a number of factors and our fees are a fraction of what was stated as our price for a label.

As for the label “Design” presented here. I suggest you look at the Sea Smoke Pinot Noir label that we designed. SeaSmoke was established and designed by CF Napa several years ago and is a trademarked label and design. The label for Capozzi, while inexpensive to create is simply in my opinion a rip off of our original design work. Often inexperienced or young designers fall prey to copying work they admire. While in most cases this is often an innocent mistake it is unethical and in violation of trademark law. I suspect that legal council for Sea Smoke may also find issue with the label design as I have.

Cheers, Dave

David Schuemann
Owner | Creative Director
CF Napa – Brand Design

2787 Napa Valley Corporate Dr., Napa, CA 94558 | 707.265.1891 phone | 707.265.1899 fax dschuemann@cfnapa.com | http://www.cfnapa.com/

Package Design | Identity | Naming | Collateral | Signage | Web sites

I’m wondering the same thing. I really haven’t asked around too much on label printers, though I have heard that you can get amazing prices by working with Australian companies due to the fact that they are heavily subsidized. That may be one place we will be looking.

My impression (right or wrong) is that printing prices in the states are fairly similar. We will be going pressure sensitive instead of glue-on however, and that will narrow the field a bit. I’ll be sure to post when I get better info.

And actually, I empathize with you, the designer. The amount of work and creativity that goes into designing a good label is unbelievable, and I hope I didn’t give the impression that I think that artists in your profession are overpaid. For those that need the entire process handled for them, there is no substitute for an expert.

Thanks for the comment, and enjoy your shirt! Should be ordering them soon.

Thanks for sharing your label design process with your readers. As a designer myself, I empathize with clients who can’t always put the entire process in my hands from strategy to execution (as much as I’d like that). You had a strong sense of self going into the project and a it showed in your ability to bring this project to a close within a tight budget. Kudos to you.

I’m curious to know, who will be handling the printing for the label? Wondering who the big names in wine label printing are…