This project was for a series of wine labels at ACE Distributing in 2018, each of them being a different varietal. I was in charge of everything, from coming up with the name to creating the whole design. Unfortunately, the project was scrapped and the wines never went into distribution, but I grew attached to the designs and felt they were still good enough to showcase here.

For the name, my coworker and I started thinking of tropical or beach-related words, because the wines were from California, and we wanted to try appealing to the beach-goer. Some of the words we came up with were “coast”, “shore”, and “cove”. After some debating, “cove” felt like a word that wasn’t overused and could be unique enough for the wine. I’ve always been a fan of alliteration, so I wanted another word beginning with “c” to go with “cove”. I eventually thought of “Crystal Cove”, using the word “crystal” for the reasons of how the ocean sometimes looks like diamonds sparkling when the sun shines on it, as well as invoking the image of a secret cavern at the edge of a beach where crystals could be found.

Using the crystal as a base, I started designing the main image for the logo. I debated between two different shapes for the crystal, before settling on the taller design. I also played around with stone arches and cave openings as a logo, with shards of crystals on the inside, until I sort of combined the two, resulting in a tall crystal with shards on the sides, plus an opening in the bigger crystal to represent a cove.

In the beginning, the body of the label for each varietal was going to be the same color, with only the name of the varietal changing. I eventually decided it was better to have the body color change between flavors to make them more instantly recognizable. Also, I went with a subtle gradient instead of a solid color to add more depth. There is also a slight diamond texture in the lines that form the angles of the crystal body, as well as in the opening in the logo. For the darker colored labels, the main text was white and the lesser text was black, but for the lighter labels, those text colors were inverted to be easier to read.

I was originally given freedom to make the labels any shape I wanted. However, due to limitations with the supplier the product would be coming from, the label had to be a rectangle. While I was disappointed I couldn’t have the label be in an actual crystal-like shape, I adjusted the design so it could have a black background that would somewhat blend in with the full bottle of the red wines. The name of the varietal was also moved to below the outer crystal shape, as if it was like a nameplate.

For the final designs, we had eight varietals each in a distinct color: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Rosé, and Zinfandel. As a finishing touch, my vision was that the triangle shapes in the openings of the crystal logo would be printed with a reflective foiling, each matching the color of the varietal, but due to the project not coming to fruition, this idea was never realized. I still really like these designs, even if they ended up being scrapped.