A self-initiated brief re-imagining the labels for two classic Caribbean rums by The Duppy Share. In Caribbean culture, ‘Duppies’ are said to be ghosts or spirits and can also take the form of snakes or lizards. This piece of folklore and its place in The Duppy Share story provided the inspiration for the imagery and narrative within my labels. The Duppy share goes:
‘In the Caribbean, rum-loving spirits called Duppies swoop between the island distilleries stealing the best of rum as its aging in old oak barrels. They only steal the very best of the rum, which is shared at the most epic of parties.’
Both labels illustrate a different party orchestrated by the Duppies and inspired by Caribbean culture.
For this label design I was inspired by Carnival and imagined the Duppies partying in the streets of Barbados and Jamaica among dancers in their traditional costumes. Picking up on the tropical flavour notes and the blend of both Barbadian and Jamaican rums, I looked to the vibrantly coloured buildings found across the Caribbean to inspire the colour palette.
I looked to sound system culture to inspire the illustration for my second label design. Here, I imagined the Duppies stealing rum from oak barrels at the distilleries and bringing together the best sound systems from across the Caribbean to start their own, rum fueled sound clash. The spices and subtle oak flavours in this rum inspired the warm colour palette.
