Maison Miles, a small, but growing, independent distiller wanted their range of spirits to feel like a family of related drinks. They liked the idea of featuring a bird on each bottle, but needed everything to be created from scratch. I put together a few potential approaches, and together we decided which one felt both appropriate and iconic. Over the next few weeks I created a complete set of labels for the initial launch, involving branding and logo design, typography, illustration, lots of liaison with the printer (including a fascinating site visit to see what was technically possible), and even working with Generative AI.
I was then asked to design the labels for their range of compounds. These are pre-mixed drinks, often in classic cocktail flavours. They were to be released one at a time, so the design system needed to be easily adaptable. We decided on a look that has a frisson of ‘late night’ energy, but retains some of the colourful shelf-appeal of Maison Mile’s other range. And where the previous range had illustrations of birds, these new ones featured the major organic ingredient or flavour, with Almonds for Amaretto, Blue Agave for the Tequila based Tegroni, Wormwood for the Vermouth based Negroni, pre-bean coffee ‘cherries’ for the coffee liqueur, and oranges for Triple Sec.
Once the two ranges were complete, the final task was to design (and artwork) a small A5 sales brochure, featuring the entire collection, that could be posted to prospective clients.
