Crafting Trust

In spirits packaging, many of the standard design moves are gestures towards “craft.”

This gold foil

this stamped medallion

this curved type lockup

this bottle embossment

this wax dip

Does the label look hand-applied? Does the label mention point of origin and an establishment date? Is there a batch number? Does it fall into a neat grid at the bottom where a distiller can pencil in notes? There is often a particular texture of detailed copy, perhaps flanking symmetrically, perhaps tucked into a secondary footer label. Some coffee packages follow these same cues, as do some beers.

For designers, this is the really fun bit. A chance to get into the nitty gritty, what can feel like objectively satisfying design “stuff.” And if the client is willing to invest in foils, custom bottles, and hand-application, then we don’t have to fake it so much. We can pull back and let the materiality speak for itself.

These are category norms, rooted in inspiring trust from the consumer. They harken back to lithography and setting metal or wood type, brands burned into the tops of barrels, a spectrum somewhere between ornate 1800s flair and a quietly proud 1900s utility.

A carefully crafted packaged must signify a carefully crafted product, right?