Royal Agio Cigars is introducing Balmoral DUETO. This is the first handmade cigar blend released under the new collaboration-based Balmoral Serie Signaturas platform and features a team up of Royal Agio Cigars’ CEO Boris Wintertmans and E.P. Carrillo’s legendary Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo. While each cigar maker has a unique and personal style, they share a philosophy that passionate curiosity is essential to discovering and enjoying the best life has to offer.
We were asked to translate this special cooperation into an eye-catching packaging design, that was recently introduced to the U.S. market, incorporating the two distinctive cultures of the two cigar makers, Dutch and Cuban. We created the 5 packaging designs (graphic creatives and 3D construction), and cigar ring designs for all 5 different vitolas (cigar models): The Robusto, Ovación, Gran Toro, Gordo and Churchill. So each cigar has its own size box and suiting cigar rings.
The cooperation of two legends, from different parts of the world, is translated in a smooth combination of two very different design styles. The main creative piece consists out of two elements. The well-known ‘B shield’ (item out of the Balmoral branding), in a white - gold setup and a red decorative Cuban part, celebrating the cultural heritage of Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo. Clearly two different origins, melting together as one strong Dueto visual.
This main creative was the base for all design elements. Like cigars that are handmade, we also used this craftsmanship in the design process. The decorative Cuban part is illustrated by hand. The curly figures secretly tell the life story of Ernesto Pérez-Carrillo, who originally came to the US from Cuba with his family. His first love was jazz music and he was a drummer before his love for cigars grew to big success. Therefore, you can find music notes at the end of the curls, drumsticks and even a drum in the creative illustrations. The flamboyant curly ornaments “grow” from the center, representing the still growing Carrillo business.
For the 5 different cigar models we created 5 different sized wooden boxes. We constructed the boxes in a slightly different shape than a normal cigar box and incorporated a thick, bright red, right side as an extra eye-catcher in the stores (where cigar boxes are normally displayed in a walk-in humidor, which is a special room with a certain humidity, to keep the cigars at perfect conditions). Also, it is more user friendly as it helps with opening the box. Combining two base colors, grey and red, to symbolize the cooperation between two parties, we kept the design very clean and modern, so that the Dueto artwork could really stand out and be the hero. The main creative is used on the box as a printed label with eye for detail, using hot-foil for extra standout. The entire box, including the creative label and signatures of the two aficionados, is then covered with a high gloss lacquer to give it that exclusive luxury look and feel. The box is closed using a small magnet in the construction and on the right side with an extra decorative closing label, that has to be cut open, when opening the box for the first time.
The inside of the box has the same setup as the outside to create unity on the selling floor (in the store humidors the boxes are often displayed open and closed). The wooden inside has a natural feel that compliments the natural product. On the right side an extra space was created for easy access to the cigars and to the well-suiting designed, semi-transparent, information sheet. This info sheet is in every box, and tells the consumer about this special cooperation and cigar blend. On the same right side you can find the cigar model and size stamped into the wood in gold hot foil. The same gold that is used for the signatures and names of the two legends on the boxes, and the same color that is used for the hinges on the backside.
The boxes contain 10 cigars, displayed in one layer next to each-other, for maximum impact. For each cigar we created a main and a bottom ring, fitting the cigars perfectly and creating a major standout from the box. Al rings feature the model name, creative illustrations and small details in embossing, hot foil and different printing techniques to compliment the complete packaging project as one.
