New style : March 2011

Thursday, March 31, 2011

BOS Ice Tea

The ubiquitous slang word “BOS” captures the energy and irreverence of South Africa. Put it into Rooibos ice tea, add the creative energy of Grant Rushmere of Afro Coffee fame, and Richard Bowsher, a co-founder of “AfrikaBurn”, package it with style and you get something that’s a little crazy and a little left of centre.

BOS Ice Tea, playing now in the fridges of happening bars, delis and restaurants, is all about contemporary African design and lifestyle trends.

The original brief to design consultancy, The President, was both to capture and initiate an authentic African story. The contemporary BOS story was just beginning but it was the ancestral story, which incorporates the traditions, myths and legends of the Khoisan people who discovered the uses of the Rooibos plant eons before, that has inspired the use of the lion and star in the logo and has rooted the origins of BOS firmly in Africa.

“From working with Grant on Afro, we had a clear understanding of his approach to design and culture, and it was a natural progression to distil the African style into something very African, South African but still contemporary,” Peet Pienaar, The President.

From there the idea distilled, and a simple, timeless and fun beverage can emerged. Potent symbols of African mythology are set against a backdrop of bold African colours that reflect the flavours and functions of the range. Red plays out on a backdrop of acid bright yellow, turquoise, green and pure white, making for compelling packaging that stands out from the rest. BOS is presented in funky 275ml slim-line cans. The units are sold singly or are shrink-wrapped into packs of four.

The intention to package a healthy product in a cool looking can was achieved, because “being healthy and being robustly cool haven’t always gone together but they can.”

Peet Pienaar as creative director and Byron Meiring as designer, have created packaging and supporting marketing design for BOS, that gives the product a great sense of excitement and the power to impact in the local market and beyond.

“Timeless design – Going back to classic, packaging with simple design, like the old maize meal bags and polish tins, is what we are wired into, it’s what being South African and being in Africa is about,” says Grant. “You’re not at an English tea party –you’re hip, cool, real – it’s funky contemporary Africa”

Barista coffee

Freshly roasted coffee beans of highest quality. All Barista blends are crafted by leading experts in the coffee industry using only specialty grade coffee beans. Each individual coffee in every Barista blend is roasted separately in order to emphasize it’s unique character.

Specialty coffee refers to highest quality green coffee beans, accounting to only 10% of worldwide coffee production, each with unique characteristics and flavors, inherited from it’s geographic origin and cultivating methods.

3/31/11 Report - Olive Jar Info & Links

Photo This Morning.This morning it looked like a few crates were loaded from the platform boat to the smaller boat and at least two people boarded the platform from the small boat. Those crates moved to the barge the other day looked heavy.A few days ago I showed a picture of an olive jar that was recently brought up from the Atocha. That reminded me of the guy that found what he thinks might

Nutella Esperienza Italia 150

What is the nutshell of Italian excellence? And how the beloved Nutella can celebrate it, together with millions of Italian families? This has been the starting point for the design of the limited edition of Nutella “Esperienza Italia 150”.

ARC’S has interpreted the project in four themes: Arts (music, poetry, cinema), Design, Landscapes & Architecture, Historical topics. The result is a fresh and joyful dialogue between Federico Fellini and the matchless Moka for coffee, Rome and Venice, Garibaldi riding a Vespa!

Words and design mix together, words become design and they beat a syncopate rhythm. For example, the “Landscapes & Architecture” theme in English would sound something like “The train makes us run quickly: from the Alps to Sicily joints Rome the immortal with Pisa and its Tower and Venice laying on the water!”

The soul of Nutella, which is usually represented by its limited edition, becomes one unique thing with this Anniversary and ideally embraces all Italians, from the South to the North, as a sole big family.

Alberta Premium 30 Year Old

The carton packaging, printed on a silver foil substrate, features embossed branding, debossed wheat sheaf with black foil overlay and a dramatic, black ink, wheat field landscape image which allows the silver substrate to show through. The orange band at the top of the carton is carried through to the interior of the carton.

The iconic bottle shape was retained—the label features silver foil and black foil overlays, a neck wrap was added as was a strip stamp with some of the key attributes.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Belmondo Skincare

Belmondo is Italian for “beautiful world.” Created by Daniela Belmondo, a local esthetician who believes that beautiful skin comes from products derived from the earth’s pure and restorative ingredients. Belmondo organic skin care is designed around the daily rituals of caring for yourself. Hand-crafted and formulated in small batches locally, Belmondo products are carefully formulated with the desire to share the incredible natural properties of olive oil, sourced from Italy. In the same way Belmondo took such care in putting together the ingredients of their products, they also wanted to demonstrate the same care for the labeling of their products. Working closely with Daniela, a custom hand-rendered type treatment was created to reflect the hand-crafted nature of the products.

3/30/11 Report - Silver Finger Bar

Silver Finger Bar with Markings.This finger bar sold for $213 on eBay yesterday (Item no. 200590613134). It is 106 grams and was dug on the West Coast of Florida. I thought the story with the item description and the markings on the bar were interesting even if it did come from the other coast. You might want to take a look.Today I added a new poll to the blog asking what is the biggest silver

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Jeds Coffee Co.

The mainstream coffee segment in New Zealand had the potential to be stimulated by an exciting new product that did not confine itself to the old category norms.

The opportunity was to demystify the Roast and Ground category by removing the coffee jargon, be more open and informative to the consumer. Jed’s Coffee Co. stands for Just Great Coffee.

Easy to follow design points you to plunger/filter or beans and takes you through the 3 easy steps in strength – mild, medium and strong.
With a clean, modern look, Jed’s is designed to ping out on shelf in a heavily cluttered market.

The Zoo (Student Work)

Designed by Wendy Shapiro, senior at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA. Illustration drawings by SCAD graduate Mike Labelle.

"The Zoo" originated in a Package Design class at SCAD Savannah. The assignment was to create an original branded set. I chose to do a line of packaging for a high-premium, theoretical baby boutique called THE ZOO. The reason I chose to do this is because there are not many baby lines currently on the market that are unique when it comes to branding and packaging. There is a coding system to the animals. Monkeys are for boys' apparel, elephants are for girls', and giraffes
are for accessories.

3/29/11 Report - Ollive Jar & More Atocha Coins Found

Intact Olive Jar Just Found on Trail of the Atocha.The Magruder is doing well on the trail of the Atocha since they moved to a new virgin area. They found the gold chain that I showed a few days ago, and then just the other day I received an email from the Fisher organization showing this olive jar that was recently found. The olive jar is complete and unbroken and had a few seeds inside. Most

AAA Dream Musuem

In collaboration with Asia Art Archive and milkxhake, we did a series of handmade book collection for the Dream Museum community project. In 2008, AAA asked the public to consider and describe their ideal museum through the enthusiastically received community project, What is your dream museum? This year, AAA calls on the community to build a collection for the dream museum by sending in an object or uploading an image on the web, and we put the selected submissions in the book collection.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Bubble Up (Student Work)

This is the project I've been working on as a college student. The idea originally stemmed from the problem that occurred to me when trying to finish pearl milk tea.

I found that the last 5% pearl is often stuck between or beneath the ice cubes and is therefore hard to be eaten by a straw.
The hemisphere on the bottom of the cup is to separate the last 5% of pearl from the ice cubes.

All we need to do is make a little shake-up, and the pearl will be pushed to the bottom. This way, we can easily reach the straw to the remaining pearls!

Amon Tobin (Student Work)

This is a student work. The brief was to choose an artist and to create a 5 cd's collector, including a booklet (8 pages required for the brief but I wanted to go further so i did 24 pages at the moment).

This is a work in progress, booklet isn't completed, and I wanted to do a flipbook included in the box set and a poster that should be send to the buyers.

3/28/11 Report - Finally Some Rain. It's Not All Bad

Cover of Coin Folder for Lincoln Pennies.One thing that you might like to do is to get some of these coin folders. They are available for different denominations and different periods. Some of the folders have unlabeled slots and others, like the one I am showing below, is labeled with slots for each year and mint.When you have folders like this, it will encourage you to go through your common

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Pictogram Wine (Student Work)

A series of wine bottles that use simple pictographs to illustrate the relationship between the wine and the food with which it should be paired. The definitive pictographs also act to substitute the lengthy descriptions often printed on wine labels, thereby making the bottles visually appealing and minimal. On the shelf amongst other wine they stand out, and are easily read by the customer, so they’re quickly able to determine which wine they should choose with their meal.

Galåvolden Gård

Galavolden Gård – a farm in the beautiful mountain town of Røros, Norway producing exiting and surprising variations on traditional recipes using self produced and other local ingredients.

The design is a continuation of this concept –taking traditional Norwegian ceramic and textile patterns and giving them a little humoristic nudge.

Cidriya Premium Cider

The clear but sharp detailed design for this cider reflects the core of this product: the product itself. Made from 100% pink lady apples grown in the high mountains of Northern Israel, the design accents the product, hinting details of the delicate and precise process of creating this premium, crisp cider.

The Hebrew typography and metallic foils create a visually stimulating product while not taking focus off of the product itself.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

3/26/11 Report - Atocha Gold Chain Worth $250,000 Found

Gold Chain Found on Trail of Atocha.The Magruder recently found this neat religious chain on the trail of the Atocha where silver coins were also recently found. This news and photo was received by email from the Fisher organization.Notice the links. The links are different than many of the treasure chains. On this one the links are more like the bar and loop links shown on the bracelet shown in

Friday, March 25, 2011

Joann Fabric + Crafts (Student Work)

The identity is designed to create a flexible, updated, and lasting look. The head of a pin is used to typographically hold together the logo, as well as, serve as an accent color. The color of the head of the pin is easily changeable to fit with different backgrounds. Bags, tags, and coupon books highlight Joann’s diverse inventory of fabrics and materials.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Motorola Eco Package (Student Work)

The concept is that the packaging comes with a a phone and a charger. The charger is a flexible solar cell piece that holds the phone in place while in the package - thus the packaging no longer needs an inner skeleton which means less material. Also one thing that is noticeable about this packaging is that it is kept for the time that you use your phone, once you want to get rid of your phone you can get the packaging, turn it inside out, and use it as prepaid return mail. This eliminates the problem of e-waste that we face in our current consumer system. The phone will be sent to a designated recycling center and the costumer will feel good about doing the right thing in a easy way.

Noir (Concept)

Personal project for a coffee liqueur.
The design was inspired by the film noir, which tries to convey the sensuality and mystery of this film, which are characteristic of this drink. The design expresses the above by a semi-abstract image in light and shade and a simple application of typography.

Blasted Church Vineyards

Designed by Brandever. Art Direction by Bernie Hadley-Beauregard, Laurie Millotte.
Illustration by Chris Sickels at Red Nose Studio. Photography by Laurie Millotte.

In 2002, the new owners of Prpich Hills Winery had a problem.

Their name.

Brandever advised that the winery needed a beacon of a name.

Something that would break away from traditional wine naming protocol.

A name that would resonate throughout the entire Okanagan Valley, and beyond.

We recommended “Blasted Church”.

And created a series of unique labels that told the true story of a mining era church that had been dismantled with the help of four dynamite sticks, and then moved to Okanagan Falls in the 1930’s.

Once launched, Wine Cognoscenti, Jurgen Gothe wrote:

"And when you do see your first bottle, you’ll probably gasp like everybody else does. This is a BC wine label? But it’s so … outrageous, colourful, cartoony, off-the-wall, and – this is the clincher – nothing at all like a BC wine label.”

Brandever has advised Blasted Church on strategic branding initiatives since inception. Including public relations, signature events like the “Midnight Service” and “Believe in Cheeses”, retail experience, and advertising & promotions.

Today, Blasted Church has grown over tenfold in sales, has become one of the most recognized, and admired wineries in Canada, and is proudly served by the best restaurants and wine merchants across the country.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

3/25 Report - Pedro Menendez & Emerald Ring

Emerald & Gold From a Treasure Beach.Yesterday was one of those days. I didn't know what I wanted to talk about and it seemed that everything I tried to do didn't work. The camera memory was full, then the battery needed recharged, and on and on. Finally I gave up and decided that I'd just wait until another day for my next post. Usually I just sit down, know what I want to talk about and do it.

3/23/11 Report - Maps and More Maps

Fort Capron Map.I have some things to catch up on today. I've had so much to write about that sometimes I forget some things or they simply get delayed.As you probably know, I did a series of posts on Fort Capron and the Fort Capron treasure. The upcoming Sedwick Coins auction will include coins from that treasure.In the recent past I posted maps showing Fort Capron. One of the maps was a map

Dirty Apron Foods

The Dirty Apron Cooking School in Vancouver recently launched a new line of spices, blends, salts and olive oil.

Glasfurd & Walker were commissioned to design a clean, type driven identity and packaging design for the range - including gift packs with a flexible, modular structure to allow for various product combinations.

The labels feature a die-cut logo which gives the packaging a distinct shelf presence - allowing the diverse and vibrant colours in the range of spices to be showcased.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

3/22/11 Report - Water Hunting & Conditions Along the Treasure Coast

Small Cut Found at High Water Mark Yesterday Morning at Jensen Beach.I enjoy the emails that I receive from the readers of this blog. The emails help me to know what you are thinking about and that helps me know what to talk about on any given day.Yesterday I mentioned Jon M. who went water hunting and found his first ring. He also mentioned in his email that he noticed the water moving

Here! Sod Air Asia

From fresh idea of Here! Sod brand, introducing T-Shirt that makes fame from different angles by adding product value from its packaging which bring new wave of excitement to both fashion society and packaging design society.

This fresh idea of Here! Sod T-Shirt had won Gold Award from Pentawards and also capture Air Asia interest from this brand new design from Here! Sod. Thus, Here! Sod has great opportunity to fly with Air Asia by Air Asia aircraft-like T-Shirt which its surprisingly red wings packaging that actually is a cloth hanger makes outstanding identity to Air Asia.

View Prompt Design's award winning Here! Sod T-shirt Design

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Kalinka (Repackaged)

StudioIN design studio redesigned the appearance of the Kalinka vodka, a brand of the Yat Vodka Association.

The previous appearance of the product did not have much individuality which was the reason why the company decided to have it completely redesigned.

The concept of the originally shaped bottle was inspired by the image of a Russian girl wearing a folk costume. The unique frost-like pattern on the glass reminds one of Russian folk art. The original solution of the development of the series became a stylization using colors characteristic of such folk arts as Gzhel and Khokhloma.

The principal purpose of the new design is the strengthening the position of the product and achieving its modern appearance, leaving its recognizability intact. The new image of the Kalinka vodka is bright and very memorable.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Maxon The Sailor

Maxon The Sailor is a new brand of Serbian company Bonita.The activity of this company is manufacturing and packaging of organic food.

Potato chips, a new product. Bonita takes care of human health and therefore produce chips without trans fats and added sea salt.

For starters produced chips with three flavors: Basic Classic, Lemon and Pizza.

It will appear on the market middle of 2011.

Chief's Energizing Face Wash

Energizing facial wash that wakes you up in the morning with a clean layout with a touch of vintage designed by Tim Boelaars, Netherlands.
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3/21/11 Report - Warning & Lease Information

Low Tide Yesterday Afternoon.Yesterday the afternoon tide was much lower than normal, as predicted. The Super Moon was still exerting its affect. This morning, none of those coral structures that you see in the photo were visible at all. There were a lot of people on the beach yesterday. For the Treasure Coast the crowds would be considered large, but compared to beaches in some other areas of

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Wyborowa Vodka (Student Work)

Rebranding of Wyborowa, a famous polish vodka. Project includes creating a new bottle design, packaging, and collateral materials to help promote and establish the new brand.

Fox’s Ambers

BrandOpus has designed the packaging for Fox’s latest product innovation to hit the shelves in March. Ambers are designed to bridge the gap between staple and luxury biscuit ranges by offering everyday indulgence to the nation.

The biscuit comes in three variants Ambers, Ambers Caramel and Ambers Praline, all individually authentic, yet sensationally tasty. The design heroes the biscuit, reflected in the colourway of the pack and scattering of crumbs across the descriptors. Even the name Ambers is derived from the golden crunchiness of the biscuit.

Ambers have a taste that focus groups have found difficult to pinpoint, and in this spirit the pack boasts of Ambers’ secret recipe. Whilst the innovation and excitement behind Ambers is illustrated by the sunbeams and starbursts in the design.

Ambers are positioned as the definitive biscuit in the Fox’s portfolio, and this is emphasised by the strong use of the Fox’s identity harlequin effect BrandOpus previously created.

Paul Taylor, creative director of BrandOpus, says: “Ambers fill the gap in the marketplace for a biscuit that offers consumers everyday indulgence. We designed a bold vibrant pack to represent the happy, golden personality of Ambers, and epitomising the imaginative approach Fox’s takes in producing ‘A better class of naughtiness’.”

Rachel Moffat, Fox’s Brands sector director comments: “We are really pleased with the Ambers design; it successfully answers our brief to create something that delivers a little pleasure and indulgence everyday. The design captures the excitement and delicious golden taste of the biscuit and will be distinctive on shelf.”

Ambers builds on the longstanding and award winning partnership between BrandOpus and Fox’s. BrandOpus previously designed the identity and brand architecture across the entire portfolio, and recently won a DBA Design Effectiveness award for the redesign of Rocky.

Pure Dairy Free

Family and Friends have completed a major refresh for Pure, the premium dairy free alternative to butter. Pure contains no hydrogenated oils, artificial additives, GM ingredients or gluten and it has 70% less fat than butter.

But awareness of Pure as an everyday and tasty alternative to butter was found to be very low outside of the dairy intolerant market, so brand owners Kerry Foods commissioned Family and Friends to develop new branding.

Pure wanted to remind the broader health conscious consumer base that dairy free leaves you feeling lighter and brighter and is not just for people with allergies or dietary problems.

The brand is now more clearly called Pure Dairy Free, with an impactful, modern looking logo highlighting this product difference and creating a more specific recall.

The new packaging has a cleaner, whiter look that better reflects Pure’s qualities; a tasty spread that is also highly versatile for baking and cooking or adding a touch of extra flavour to dishes.

Alex Durbridge, creative partner at F&F says “Communicating purity and enjoyment was key”. “Each product variant carries a different mouth watering serving suggestion, emphasising taste and culinary use to customers when confronted with the pack on shelf”

Qual and quant research results confirmed that both users and non users much preferred the new look, which will launch into stores by mid March, supported by press advertising.

Inner labels, brand tone of voice and style guides for other communications are also being developed by the agency.

Food photography by Howard Shooter.

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