Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/63248
MANAGEMENT PHILO RIDGE VINEYARDS Gets a New Label By Tina Caputo, editor-in-chief Boutique vintner taps into affordable online resource for a new look s important as wine label design is in today's fiercely competitive market, many vintners – especially those on the smaller end of the pro- duction scale – lack the resources to pay for professional design ser- vices. So instead of hiring a graphic artist to create a compelling label, they will often try to make do with a freebie designed by a family mem- ber or a friend. The results can range from passable to downright awful. Fortunately for vintner Fred R. Buonanno, owner of Philo Ridge Vineyards in California's Anderson Valley, he didn't have to go the ama- teur route when designing his win- ery's new label – and he didn't have to go broke, either. In fact, the end result cost him less than $600. Buonanno's secret weapon was Crowdspring.com, a website that connects those in need of graphic design services with professional designers all over the world. Com- panies post their project specs and the price they're willing to pay, and interested designers submit their work. "Our current label was first intro- duced for our 2004 vintage," said Buonanno, who produces less than 3,000 cases per year of Philo Ridge 48 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT MAY - JUNE 2012 wines. "It was a redesign from our first label, which we introduced on our first wine in 2001. We used a label designer for the first itera- tion of the label, and this ran about $5,000." norm, but not over the top or out- landish. We are a small brand, and as we all know, a lot of wine is pur- chased because of the label. So we wanted something that would stand out on the shelves of wine shops – in such a crowded market you need to do something to get noticed if you don't have a multimillion-dollar marketing budget." Buonanno's niece told him about Crowdspring.com a few years back, when he worked for a different win- AT A GLANCE An appealing label design is more important than ever in a competi- tive market. The current Philo Ridge label is based on a design from 2001. In 2011, the win- ery's owners felt it was time for a more contemporary look. Last year Buonnano decided it was time for a fresh new label, and began scouting around for ideas. "It's a very standard-style label and we wanted something more con- temporary," he said. "We wanted the label to be somewhat out of the Due to budget limitations, some small producers rely on designs created by friends or family mem- bers. When it was time for a new look, Fred Buonanno of Philo Ridge Vineyards turned to a website that connected him with hundreds of professional designers. His new label design cost about one-tenth of the price he paid for the previous design. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM