A Wine Company that Educates Consumers Through Literary Character Association.
10 week, Spring 2019
Collaboration between VCD (Katherine Taylor) and ID (Leah Bertuccelli) for Senior Capstone
Objective
To develop a product of ones own interest in 10 weeks
Execution
Students were given the choice to either work individually or collaborate with another design discipline with oversight of the professors. The final product was to be displayed at the University of Washington Senior Show 2019.
Background
For centuries, the wine bottle has had a very standard and recognizable form. The simple tapering cylindrical shape, with slight variations dependent on wine variety or brand, has become a wine making tradition.
The shapes of these wine bottles are so simple because back before glass bottles were mass manufactured, they were blown by artisans and these shapes were the easiest for them to make.
Because the shapes are recognizable and stand apart from other alcohols, the tradition still stands.
Research
In a study done by Wine.net, 2000 people were surveyed and asked to choose between three bottles of red wine without providing any information besides what was displayed on the label of each bottle.
82%
Based on their choice off of label graphics and bottle shape
as opposed to region, age, or varietal.
Persona
26
Real Estate Agent
Very Little
Age
Occupation
Wine Knowledge
I get really lost at the grocery store because all of the wines look the same. Also they are such an awkward shape to hold and carry.
Paige loves wine, but knows very little about it. She does not have a preference of red or white and typically buys whatever is most aesthetic to make the best looking post on her Instragram, as she is an aspiring influencer. Paige drinks wine about 4 times a week; half of the time with friends and half by herself in her room watching a movie or reading a good book.
Demographic
The demographic we are targeting is young adults with little experience with wine, so that our wine labels will help them to understand the taste profile without having to know wine jargon.
Younger people are also typically more open to breaking of tradition and are attracted to aesthetic branding.
Because the majority of wine bottles use cork to seal the wine and keep it fresh, you have to have a cork screw to be able to open and enjoy the wine.
The wine bottle body is typically too wide for the hand to wrap all the way around, which can be especially challenging for people with small hands.
Pain Points
Because of the cylindrical shape, it is difficult to package multiple bottles of wine together without wasted space or materials. Also, while boxed it is hard to tell the difference between wines without having to take them out of the box.
Market Research
EXPENSIVE
TRADITIONAL
UNIQUE
Opportunity
The wine market is saturated in traditional wine bottles and branding. The most unique bottles tend to be the most expensive.
CHEAP
How might we create a unique brand that enhances the experience of buying, handling, and drinking wine through packaging, labeling, and bottle design?
Opportunity
Proposal
Goal
Challenge
We propose to create new bottles, packaging, and branding for a wine company that we develop.
Our design challenge will be to improve the bottle ergonomically, aesthetically and environmentally, for the packaging to reduce waste while accomodating the bottle shape and improving comfort in transportation, and for the branding to create a recognizable language specific to the company.
Our design goal is to break traditions and stand out visually among all other wines while enhancing the user’s experience in handling the bottle and packaging.
Branding
Vellichor (n.) is the strange wistfulness of used bookstores, which are somehow infused with the passage of time.
Each bottle of wine will represent a different literary character whose personality traits relate to the flavor profiles of the style of that wine.
Inspiration
We were inspired by minimalist, geometric forms that could fit easily together.
Sketches
These sketches explore bottles with flat sides so that they can be stacked next to each other, removing any wasted space. We also are exploring alternative materials the bottles can be made out of that would make the bottles less breakable.
The box sketches focus on creating a more ergonomic way to hold a half case of wine while removing unnecessary material.
Iterations
The biggest challenge when it came to iterations was making the bottle still resemble a wine bottle so that consumers do not look at it and immediately associate it with another kind of liquor.
Breaking Traditions
Vellichor Cellars is a wine brand focused on creating a new and exciting wine experience though its unique branding and packaging. Each wine is paired with a literary character based on their personality traits and the taste profile of the wine to help inexperienced wine-drinkers have a better idea of what the wine might taste like before they buy it. The colors and patterns on each label visually represent the personality of the character, and therefore the wine. Each bottle also comes with a small booklet that contains a bit more information about the wine, to further educate the buyer.
Reuse, Recycle
Vellichor Cellars draws upon the green friendly nature of used book stores in its packaging, using 100% recyclable materials. The unique bottles are not made of glass, but instead aluminium. This material, and the rectangular shape of the bottle’s body, allow for the bottles to stack next to each other, eliminating the need for excess cardboard typically used to protect the glass bottles. The bookcase-inspired half-case carrier’s open sides allow for less cardboard usage and are held together by biodegradable hemp twine as opposed to non-recyclable adhesives.
