SA agency wins international design medal

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Entries ranged from big brand names such as J&B, Guinness, Chivas Regal, Johnnie Walker and Smirnoff Twist, to beers and unusual Russian vodkas. Top wine brands from all the major wine regions (France, USA, SA, Australia, Italy, Portugal, Argentina and Chile) were well represented.

Entries are judged by industry and design specialists, on their impact, appeal to their target market, shelf presence and fulfilment of the design brief. The competition standard was so high this year that extra categories were added to accommodate the variety and award the level of excellence.

When asked about the design rationale, Vanessa Weber, G:2’s creative director and the designer of the Lourensford Honey Liqueur pack, said that the aim was to remain true to the Lourensford brand, to keep the sense of exquisite taste and superior quality.

The distinctive hexagonal box was specially developed to enhance the glowing yellow liqueur within: subtle gloss varnish on the narrow black box catches the light and reveals the honeycomb pattern. This is repeated on the sealing box and neck label, which is printed in matt gold and gloss varnish - once again using light play to add to the effect. The minimal matt black label allows one to appreciate the liqueur without being distracted by the design.

According to the judges, “a honey liqueur from South Africa is not, you would imagine, the easiest sell. But give it packaging as simple and elegant as this and maybe the consumer is halfway to buying it even before knowing what it is. It’s a perfect combination of brief and execution: the narrow, tall bottle draws attention to the eye-catching, pale gold colour of the liquid, while the strip’s depiction of bee and honeycomb keys into the origin of the product.

“If the bottle is simple and attractive, the carton is just ingenious. It, too, is fairly minimalist, but the use of the hexagonal cylinder, again recalling the honeycomb shape, creates something which is distinctive on-shelf, but also clearly connected to what’s in the bottle.”

Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West is one of the country’s oldest wine farms, with a history dating back to 1700. Recent plantings of vineyards and an ultra-modern cellar has seen production of more than 25 different wine products across four brands. With an eye for innovation and a taste for the unusual, Lourensford is allegedly the first wine estate in the world to produce its own honey liqueur.