The people who have grown the grapes, entrepreneur Sam Baptiste
and his family and employees, most of whom are members of the
Osoyoos First Nation, a central–British Columbia Indian tribe, have
worked hard to establish a successful vineyard that today produces
a remarkable line of ultra-premium wines.
This wine was unique. That’s why Don Chisholm and his design
team at Dossier Creative of Vancouver, B.C., worked so hard to cre-
ate one-of-a-kind packaging for its client, Nk’Mip (pronounced
“Inkameep”), the first native-owned and operated winery in
Canada. The winery’s offerings included a Chardonnay, Merlot,
Pinot Noir, and Pinot Blanc; an ice wine—a wine made from frozen
grapes—may be produced in the next two years. The proper pack-
aging and labeling could give the wines the boost they needed to
attract the attention of the highly educated, highly experimental
wine lover. These early adopters, if they can be encouraged to try
a product and like it, are the trendsetters who give a brand the
word-of-mouth reference that a wine needs to succeed.
Inkameep is the name of the Osoyoos Indian band in the native
Okanagan Salishan language. The Salish tribe has lived in this
area since the 1870s. Like many reservation areas offered by
governments of the time, the land was deemed worthless:
scrubby, rocky, and too dry to grow anything without irrigation.
Today, though, the Osoyoos band, which is part of the larger
Salish tribe, produces some of the finest fruit in the region.
Inkameep is a sophisticated brand, Chisholm says. It represents
the tradition and heritage of the Okanagan Nation, while encom-
passing new-world design. “The packaging we created supports
the premium positioning for the brand and conveys rich, native
heritage through images of strength, mysticism, pride, and the
deep historical roots of the Osoyoos Indian band,” he says.
At the center of his team’s design are two symbols of Inkameep
people and of native people in general: the turtle and the spear-
head. In native legend, the turtle challenged the eagle, who had
enslaved the animal people, to a race and then won by outsmart-
ing the eagle. The spearhead symbolizes strength and success.
To begin collecting what they knew would be rich imagery, Dossier
designer Peter Woods spent two days in the Okanagan meeting
members of the band, visiting the band’s museum library, and in-
terviewing historians. He gathered many different images, includ-
ing a snake, coyote, bear, horse, feather, and dancer. All of the
symbols hold meanings of strength, mysticism, and honor, among
other qualities, for native peoples.
Nk’Mip, a brand of wine made from grapes grown north of
the 49th parallel in Canada, in a
pocket desert that extends
across the Washington–British Columbia border, where tempera-
tures can reach 105 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and dip
to near 0 degrees in winter, has worked hard to get here.
A wine from an unusual place—a pocket desert right
across the Washington State–Canadian border on an
Indian reservation—deserved a package design just as
unique. Dossier Creative found a way to communicate
the makers’ heritage with a contemporary twist.
(RAY)
Job:10-91261 Title:Rockport : Little Book Of Packaging Ideas
175#_P Dtp:44 Page:112
001-157_91261.qxp 10/16/06 1:37 PM Page 112
“The snake, for example, we felt held ambiguous symbolism—
both positive and negative—that we liked. We felt that it would
be interesting to highlight a symbol that had broad, universal
associates that could border on controversial. The snake could
be poisonous and evil, but if we used a coiled snake, we could
form another universal symbol—the spiral—a powerful icon in
all cultures around the globe that is generally seen as a symbol
of life, death, and eternity,” Chisholm says.
After extensive study, however, the design team and client agreed
on the turtle and spearhead as symbols for all of the wines.
The design process was an evolutionary one that went through
many stages. One early option presented symmetrical and flipped
pieces of what might be ripped fragments of ancient documents.
The two pieces are joined by a thin vertical rectangle carrying the
Inkameep name. Chisholm liked the power of this look. It was al-
most like a petroglyph on its own. “It’s the power of the symbol-
istic brand mark,” he says.
This idea was initially popular with the client. They were enamored
with the power of the shape. However, there were many problems
to be solved with this solution: Maybe the word mark should be
broken up, but maybe breaking the name in this fashion would
render it too hard to pronounce.
Another design explored the idea of a stretched deer hide. “We felt
this was a strong direction. Deer hide was an important material
within the band’s life, as they were known for clothing they created
from deer hide,” Chisholm explains. “The simple graphic form that
represented the hide and the word mark were working more as
symbols for the brand.”
However, the client felt that the skin might make consumers think
of dead animals—not a concept they wanted associated with
their new product—and decided not to go with this approach.
Yet another option—there were eight design ideas presented in
all—relied on pictograms. “The client liked this direction because
of its unique label shape, but we decided that one pictogram was
a stronger image for the final design,” says Chisholm.
A fourth design direction used a mix of imagery—pictograms,
photos, maps, and the brand mark—to uniquely express different
varieties of wine. Each set of visuals would tell a different story
for each variety. Each arrangement of art would be dramatic and
distinct. However, this approach was ultimately judged to be too
much of a period piece.
The third option was eventually chosen, with slight modifications.
“It is a good representation of the brand strategy and of native
heritage and symbolism,” Chisholm says. It is both traditional and
contemporary. It has also been commercially successful.
“The overall brand image created through the packaging program
has allowed the client to enjoy many successes—articles in publi-
cations on their wine and winery, public relations exposure, and
so on. Initial indications are that sales are healthy,” he adds.
This early option used symmetrical, flipped pieces of what might
be ripped fragments of ancient documents. The Nk’mip name
was placed at the center. The background used Indian picture
writing; each symbol was chosen for its specific meaning.
Left: This design used a shape as its base that is reminiscent of a stretched deer hide.
The vertical rectangle, carrying the brand name, was brought over from the first design.
Although the client liked this approach, eventually it was decided that associating the
new wine with a dead animal might not be a positive connection.
Center: This comp was ultimately taken to final stages. It incorporated the picture language
that everyone had liked since the beginning, plus it brought in an arrow or spearhead as
well as some additional texture. The single pictogram presented a stronger brand image.
Right: This design brought together maps, pictograms, photos, and artifacts. Although this
approach brought together many visuals that both the design and client teams liked, this
was deemed too busy and too historically based for a new wine.
112 113
THE LITTLE BOOK OF BIG PACKAGING IDEAS
(RAY)
Job:10-91261 Title:Rockport : Little Book Of Packaging Ideas
175#_P Dtp:44 Page:113
001-157_91261.qxp 10/16/06 1:37 PM Page 113
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.