Task: to develop label design for the line of alcoholic beverages.
LO'R Special Drinks were founded in 1994 in a Czech town Prádlo u Nepomuku. It was a small distillery producing alcoholic beverages, mainly absinthe. Since 2014, the production was extended to a second distillery, and alcohol assortment was expanded. As a result of this, new beverages needed branding and label design.
Label design guidelines: to develop a universal layout that would be able to bring different alcohol products (vodka, distillates, rum, etc.) under one line by the means of graphic design. The final product had to fit the mid-priced segment of the Czech alcohol market.
Solution.
The most popular solution for the mid-segment label design is to use the illustration of the product's main ingredient (e.g. plum for plum distillate, wheat for vodka, etc.) combined with simple typography. Customers are used to this combination, and it was important to reflect on this fact in order to find “a common language” with the target group and not to confuse it. On the other hand, the series of products had to stand out on the store shelves and work as a line. It was decided to go the traditional way but in a slightly different manner.
The illustration, simplified and enlarged within the label layout, became inseparable from the background, (unlike an independent illustration). Customers are still able to recognize the combination (typography & illustration) they are familiar with, but, at the same time, they are presented with a more modern and non-typical solution. The identical style of illustrations and their positioning within the layout makes the series uniform, while the usage of bright contrast color pairs for each product helps distinguish them within the line and accentuate the alcohol difference.
To bring in a slight "homemade" feeling, the imitation of stamps (with the manufacturer’s logo, and the information about the additives or quality of the ingredients) was created. The carved edge of the label adds a gentle rustic touch and hints at the manufacturer’s desire to follow Czech traditions.
