Swami Pinot Noir

It's been a good year.  I've worked with some great clients on some cool projects and this was one of my favorites. Swami Pinot Noir fulfilled a long time career goal of working on wine labels.  Fortunately, the kind folks at Blue Nomad were really open and allowed a lot of room for creative freedom.  The crew and I were well matched and I think I can speak for all of us when I say we had a good time putting this together.   

Swami Pinot Noir reflections

There are more details in wine packaging than I first realized, but that just means there's more room to play.  We considered every aspect of the wine and how it would look on the shelf.  My hope is that someone could get lost in the label and forget they were even at a dinner party so I pushed myself to make imagery is as bright and multi-layered as the wine.

Swami's front and back labels

Capsule detail

 Printed cork

Friends know of my fondness for all things glow in the dark, so it stands to reason that one of my favorite things about this label is the fact that we were able to hit it with UV sensitive ink and unleash the cosmic glow.  The scene on the label has a rich variety of colors that vary depending on the light source. 

The many faces of Swami

Pinot Noir at dusk

Swami under blacklight

When the lights go out

Original concept sketch

Final three color ups

The final label is actually really close to the original concept with the exception of the outside shape, which evolved over the course of development.  The end result is much more cohesive and visually stimulating.  And there you have it, an homage to one of my favorite San Diego hideouts. 

For more info and to find a bottle near you please visit www.swamiwinery.com