Responses by Barry Imber, illustrator, Insite Design
Background: We were asked to design a visually compelling yet on-brand packaging solution for a new line of cocktail syrups for the well-established Dillon’s Small Batch Distillers. Canadian spirits suffer from severely limited visibility and market access due to alcohol regulations, so our strategy was to find alternative, non-alcohol markets to place the brand. With the product photography by Nataschia Wielink, the target audiences are generally those with an interest in home entertaining with cocktails.
Reasoning: The visual side of the design needed to fit within the Dillon’s brand architecture but also stand out in retail environments that may not be familiar with the spirit’s brand. We know from experience with Dillon’s bitters that the boutique retail market is diverse in design aesthetic so we needed to connect a look that could fit this variety while still being beautiful and telling the Dillon’s story of craft, attention to detail and transparency of ingredients.
Challenges: Our access to vessels at viable prices was severely limited. We could not find a can at the minimums for the project and had to use pre-printed bulk maple syrup cans. Even then the availability of these cans was dependent on time of year to mesh with the maple syrup demand schedule. Using this can also presented issues of labelling. A shrink sleeve would have been the best option but it proved challenging due to the shape of the can, specifically its lack of taper top and bottom, which is needed for shrink grip. The option we selected was a self-adhesive. This presented further problems since the label length meant headaches for the hand application supplier. The solution was to mute the self-adhesive for the length of the label and leave only leading and end adhesive strips to make application easier.
Favorite details: How all the details came together to feel just right for this packaging but also cohesive to Dillon’s core brand and how the design elements are part of the brand’s direction and previous packaging designs that we have created.
Visual influences: The concept of product counterscaping has always been a critical goal for the Dillon’s brand. Traditionally, alcohol has been given a big pass of acceptance on counters and bars where consumer goods have not. So, we wanted to ensure that Dillon’s non-alcohol products would get the space on the counter and bar in audience’s homes by picking up on traditional heritage household decor cues combined with vintage apothecary and reinterpreted with sensitive contemporary color schemes.
Time constraints: Finding the can was time-consuming. It ate up most of the timeline and presented constant variables to the design work.
Specific demands: The project was made difficult with COVID-19 and the reality that all suppliers were working at reduced efficiency and as separated teams. Therefore, communication was challenging and suppliers were not as attentive and detail-oriented as they normally are.
Alternative approach: We would encourage our client to print directly onto the can, which would help the client solve those financial challenges. We’d find another brand to share the minimums and also invest in the product ourselves to get the volume up, as well as get involved in pre-reselling/booking commitments with the retailers in order to reduce the perceived risk.
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