Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/646485
w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m M a r - A p r 2 016 | V I N E YA R D & W I N E RY M A N A G E M E N T 9 9 new to the wine industry, is to have either a friend or family member design their wine label without any branding experience," says Pollard. "Ideally, you want to hire trained professionals who have experi- ence in wine label design as well as branding. There are a range of options available for any budget and the end result will be spectacular." Plan ahead. "Another area to consider is creating a critical path timeline for your project. Every wine label must have TTB approv- al," says Pollard. "You also need time to design the label, meet with the printer to ensure it'll work on press and to make sure costs fall within your budget. Additionally, this all needs to happen prior to your scheduled bottling date. Many wineries use mobile bottling trucks that are booked months in advance; missing the bottling date deadline due to delays can prove to be a costly mistake." Take your personal taste too seriously. "For small wineries, this is OK," says Reiss. "But if you want to sell a million cases, a lot of peo- ple have to love it. So it has to be designed for the general consumer. In a perfect world, they'll love your idea, but you can't do something silly just because you like it." BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER Schuemann outlines three things great packages can do: 1) Invite trial (you want the consumer to pick it up and learn more); 2) Reinforce wine quality (he did a study where the same wine was packaged two dif- ferent ways and the participants had radically different opinions on the taste of the wine; "If the wine looks great, consumers will purchase it and like the wine better," he says); 3) Recall/repurchase; a color or icon to remember you by and to reinforce your name and brand. "When you print something striking, consumers will pick it up," says Pollard. "Then, if it's engaging and the right price for them, your marketing is done. The next pur- chase is the winemaker's job." Comments? Please e-mail us at feedback@vwmmedia.com. There are a lot of regulations to follow, both regionally and beyond, regarding labeling requirements. For detailed information on federal law, visit TTB.gov. Also consult state and local associations to ensure you're meeting their regulations. WHAT NOT TO DO M e n t i o n f o o d p a i r i n g s . "There's more emphasis now on the story behind the brand," says Schuemann. "Mentioning specific food pairings can create a barrier and limit appeal." Critter labels. Those are totally out and most designers actually cringe at the thought of them. Even though there was a huge wave of them (via Australian imports), only a few have withstood the test of time. If you're going to put an ani- mal on your label, have it be one that's real and that means some- thing to your brand style. Think that your edgy label design will instantly result in a "cult" wine. "When someone asks for a 'cult label' design, I ask what they mean by that," says Reiss. "You don't become a cult wine because of what your label looks like. It's about creating a fol- lowing." A full-wraparound, two-color design with spot silkscreen and embossing has multiple attention-grabbing elements. Photo: Kraftwerk Design