Stranger & Stranger

Firewood Vodka’s Stand Out Packaging by Constantin Bolimond.

Package design is a multifunctional art form. The package must function as a container or vessel for an object, and it must stand out. In the case of liquor packaging, where your product is competing in a sea of similar looking products you need to really stand out. If you have been in a liquor store, or the liquor aisle of your supermarket lately, you might have noticed how most bottles look very similar, and it is a label that attempts to differentiate a brand or product offering. There are exceptions to the rule, and companies like Stranger & Stranger have set the high bar for memorable liquor packaging, but this design from Constantin Bolimond for Firewood Vodka is a true winner.

The package plays off of the brand name, presenting itself as a wooden log. A cut branch is the spot for pouring the vodka. Labeling is debossed and enameled highlighting the logo of a double axe tied into a knot. Visually this is a fantastic play on the name, and an outstanding way to represent the product. There is no way this is going to get lost in a wall of vodka products where the packaging is designed to show off the clear liquid inside in a shape that looks like so many others.

Jack Daniel’s White Rabbit Saloon Promotion.

I’ve written about the exquisite design work Stranger and Stranger creates for the beverage industry before. Their work never ceases to amaze me, and the bottle and packaging design for Jack Daniel’s White Rabbit is no exception.

To help promote the the new adult libation and the packaging design, designer Florent Carlier teamed up with ReflexParis to create a direct mail piece that was printed directly onto a wooden substrate. The limited edition promotion piece was based on the original design by Stranger & Stranger, and used a digital printing method to produce the final result. Even the white ink. Great work from both Florent Carlier, and Stranger and Stranger.

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“I wanted to print typography on wood. I was surprised to learn it was possible to do it by digital printing. Even with white ink!”

Stranger & Stranger Does it Again

When it comes to packaging for wine, beer, and spirits, no one does it better than Stranger & Stranger. I have posted about their work before but this new series of wine packages for Safeway and Truett-Hurst is absolutely fantastic.

The bright colorful paper wrappers are sure to grab the attention of any shopper in the aisle, and the packaging truly stands out from typical wine labels that can vanish on a 20 foot shelf of glass. The price range on the wine runs from 12 to 50 bucks, and since there is no Safeway here in the Kansas City metro area, I might be taking a road trip to pick some of these up.

We had an idea. Instead of putting more wines on the shelf with a label, grape variety and country on it, we thought about why someone might be buying that particular wine. Then we wrapped the bottle in paper covered with recipes, pictures and stuff relating to whatever that occasion might be.

Stranger & Stranger. Some of the Best Package Design in the Business.

One design area that I have always found challenging is package design for the wine and liquor industry. You are designing for a highly competitive industry where your design has to stand out in a sea of bottles, and well-defined brands. This is much harder to do than you think. I say this from personal experience. I have designed liquor packaging that tested well, and the client loved, yet failed to convert into the massive sales the client was looking for. One company that has been extremely successful in this field is Stranger & Stranger.

Stranger & Stranger’s motto is “Don’t fit in. Stand out.” and everything about their package design does exactly that. It is why they have been so successful and won so many awards since they were founded in 1994. Their ability to combine witty editorial, with outstanding illustration, lettering and physical design has consistently produced some of the best packaging in this category. Their attention to detail in every aspect of the design process is what sets this firm apart from the others. Every one of the designs they produce is truly about display, and presence.

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Stranger & Stranger is a packaging design and branding company specialising in alcoholic drinks. Since 1994 we have named, researched and registered wines and spirits brands worldwide. We’ve created bespoke and innovative bottle shapes, labels, closures and all secondary packaging.

We’ve created marketing support material and environmental dressing. We’ve supervised production to the highest standards.

We’ve won a pile of awards along the way but most importantly we’ve helped sell a
billion bottles of beer, wine and spirits in one of the world’s most competitive markets.