Shields Design Studio Creates Unique Wine Labels

Filed Under: Other News

On a gray, blustery day in January 2019 the Shields Design Studio team met with the owners of The 1620 Winery in Plymouth. They had just created a new, unique program called the 1620 Wine Cult. Robert Mullaney, owner of the 1620 Winery along with his wife Raquel, had been busy creating high-end wines that would only be available to Wine Cult members. The company needed label designs with a “spooky cult-like feel” that would support their branding campaign, and the Shields Design team was up for the challenge.
The 1620 Wine Cult is more than a wine club, it’s a wine cult: a private cabal of wine lovers who share a passion for the fruit of the vine and enjoy communion with others of similar zeal. In this cult, wine enthusiasm is valued over wine knowledge. Membership is open to all, novice and master alike. Their greatest commandment is “Thou Shalt Enjoy Thyself and Thy Wine.” 1620 Wine Cult members enjoy a special status at both the 1620 Winery and the 1620 Wine Bar, both located in Plymouth. Membership comes with insider access to a private reserve of exclusive wines and invitations to participate in special “rites and rituals.” To learn more about The Wine Cult, visit 1620winery.com/1620-wine-cult
The team knew the designs needed to be very special and they determined that Megan James, a designer and illustrator at Shields Design, would be the perfect artist to create the new wine labels. James brings an unprecedented level of creativity and illustration skills to the Shields team and is the creative genius behind the comic book series Innsmouth (her personal project). She describes her series as, “a horror-comedy Lovecraft parody about a bunch of door-to-door doomsday cultists trying to end the world.”
The Shields team knew the imagery and names for the wines needed to be spooky but not too dark. The naming of the wines Crypt’s HarvestSinister SallySiren’s Song, and Enchantress came after the illustrations were created. When it came to Bradford’s Ghost and Devil’s Share, the illustration was created in response to the already-named wines. Then, the process of brainstorming, sketching initial concepts, final illustration/design and creation of the mechanical file began. Once approved the files were sent to Classic Impressions for printing on a special stock called silver bopp film, a technique that allows a metallic/foil appearance to come through in varying percentages. The labels have a unique metallic effect that pair nicely with the superb fruits of the winemakers’ labor. A special etched bottle produced by Waterloo Container was created for Bradford’s Ghost, the winery’s premier vintage. (Label artwork is attached with this press release).
“We were thrilled when the owners of The 1620 Winery asked us to design the labels for their new 1620 Wine Cult brand,” said Mary Shields, President of Shields Design Studio. “The designs and materials make these labels unique and memorable, which is what the owners were striving for.”
“Working with the Shields Design team on this project was a dream,” said Raquel Mullaney, Owner of 1620 Winery. “Their ideas and creativity were inspiring and the local artist, Megan James, who hand-drew the labels, was nothing short of perfection! It was everything we were hoping for and more,” she added.
Three more Wine Cult wines and labels are currently in production and will be introduced soon.
About Shields Design Studio:
For over twenty-five years, the creative team at Shields Design Studio has provided visual communications and marketing programs to a broad spectrum of industries for both the public and private sector. These services include corporate and product branding, logos, packaging, print collateral, advertising, outdoor, exhibits/displays, point of purchase, illustration, animation, social media, web design and development, native apps, fully-integrated marketing automation, and more.
About 1620 Winery:
The 1620 Winery in Cordage Park is one special place that serves two purposes. It is both a gorgeous venue for weddings, corporate events and other festive gatherings as well as the home of an award winning winemaking operation. Standing on the site of Plymouth’s historic Cordage Rope Company, the 1620 Winery is an unforgettable destination for big nights, special days and quiet moments of sipping hand crafted wines.
Wine 1 wine 2 wine 3 1