"Bold Yet Refined"
Before I was able to help build a dynamic team and bestow the honor of designing packaging to other very talented designers, I personally designed over 70+ labels for Blake’s Hard Cider Co. and Blake’s Brewing, which was literally a dream come true.
I would love to introduce to you one of my favorites, a very unique Hard Cider by the name of Santa Rosa.
Fermented on “Santa Rosa” Plum skins, this cider could best be characterized by the words “Bold Yet Refined” as it had a very robust flavor that hit your tastebuds immediately with notes of plum unlike anything I have experienced before, but it also had nuanced characteristics of a refined wine.
To personify the name, and the theme of this cider, “Bold yet Refined” I pitched the idea depicting a vintage looking woman sporting tattoos that told a story of the origins of farm, but while wearing a very refined dress as I thought this was a fun juxtaposition that would get peoples attention and cut through the noise on liquor store shelves.
The tattoos were chosen carefully to tell a story about both the cider and the company.
To personify the name, and the theme of this cider, “Bold yet Refined” I pitched the idea depicting a vintage looking woman sporting tattoos that told a story of the origins of farm, but while wearing a very refined dress as I thought this was a fun juxtaposition that would get peoples attention and cut through the noise on liquor store shelves.
The tattoos were used as a way to tell a story about both the cider and the company.
The chestpiece features a plum, clock, apple and map of Michigan, that represent the long fermentation of the ingredients that take place on the farm.
The Tattoos on the arms feature portraits of the grandparents (Gerald and Lovey Blake) who established the family farm in 1946, as well as the red iconic truck that is parked in front of the Tasting Room.
This was the 1st product in our new "Foraged Series", which was designed to celebrate the variety of fresh fruit available for picking on the farm.
The ability of a consumer to come and pick the exact fruit used in this small batch cider was a very unique attribute that I thought warranted being highlighted, so I created a map of the orchard depicting where the trees were located as well as a little bit more background info and illustrations of the tree, fruit and seeds to re-inforce the rich farming knowledge of the Blake family.
Santa Rosa was initially released in 500ml bottles.
