Sam’s Island Wines

Client: Kingsland Drinks

Brief: Kingsland had developed a new range of vintage wines and they wanted a brand that communicated this new range of vintage wines against their more colourful non-vintage range.

Solution: Creating a narrative around exploration, we realised this on the bottle with a modern take on the typeset posters of old. This naturally positioned the range above the non-vintage whilst maintain approachability across multiple demographics. We improved back bar stand out with a cold colour palate for each expression.

Sam’s Island, a vintage range of wines by Kingsland Drinks, was a great brief to work on.

Kingsland initially came to us with an idea – their existing range had a suite of labels, they just weren’t doing so well in terms of brand recognition and performance. So, they looked to the experts to do something about it.

This is our speciality – transforming an idea into a reality.

The Sam’s Island range consists of a shiraz, chardonnay and rosé. To meet the brief, we decided to keep the vintage element, but align it with current trends and increase the quality perception. An ‘old school’ vibe, but one with a contemporary edge, and all steeped with a premier feel.

Each wine required a re-design, so having chosen to go down the retro route, we began to experiment by complementing and contrasting the colours of the three wines to make each piece of packaging unique, yet on brand.

The shiraz contrasted deep blue with sharp red, the rosé mixed a light blue label with strong pink colours, and the chardonnay combined green and yellow for a fresh effect.Over-layering these, we focused on a handcrafted style – one with nods to the islands referenced in the name, and with clouds helping form a sense of adventure.

Ensuring that every wine from the range complemented each other, as well as standing out from what’s currently on the market, the three vintage wines are all now listed in Greene King pubs nationwide and achieving plenty of great feedback.

They’re also catching the eye of judges on various award panels. Following their launch, the designs were entered straight into the Harpers Design Awards 2018, where they picked up the Bronze trophy. Naturally we’re very pleased to be recognised and have our hard work pay off.