Hole in the Clouds

Client: Direct Wines

Brief: To create a new brand to stand out in the New Zealand wine category and drive a rise in the overall sales of the product.

Solution: Creating a narrative and artwork around it’s place of origin, New Zealand. Using Māori legend we created a design and positioning that was not only unique, but stood out in its category grabbing the attention of customers and increasing sales.

As the Māori legend goes, the world was created by a God and Goddess, Ranginui, the Sky Father and Papatūānuku, the Earth Mother. With a love so fierce they could not be apart, they held each other together within a loving embrace that shrouded the world in a shadow of darkness and leafy vegetation. In time they produced several children, who miserable in these cramped conditions, prised there parents apart. This forced the bright clouded Sky to stand above as a stranger, and the Earth to lie below as a nurturing Mother.

New Zealand has some of the world’s most southerly grape growing regions, were the vineyards benefit from the moderating effect of the maritime climate. No vineyard is more than 120km from the ocean, with long days and nights cooled by sea breezes and vast amounts of beautiful foliage.

Inspired by its place of origin, this New Zealand wine is centred around the tales of the Māori tribes. Just like the traditional carved body art of its people, the design captures the legend in meticulous detail using striking illustration and strong black and white contrasts. The label is finished with a raised gloss, like the Māori tattoo markings that raise on the skin, quickly grabbing the attention of those who pass by.