Last year, ERA404 designed three labels for the inaugural launch of Brooklyn Wine Co.’s new brand for Feliz Red, Feliz White and Grand Army Meritage. My original blog posting about the design strategy for these labels can be found here.

Anyway, OSFA, of Newstoday, just alerted me to the fact that our labels were featured in the April 2008 HOW International Design Annual (thanks, man!) with the below story included.

Behind the Design: Brooklyn Style
HOW International Design Annual
April 2008

“Many wine drinkers select wines in part because of the label,” says Creative Director Don Citarella about his recent designs for the Brooklyn Wine Co.’s Feliz White and Red. “Our main goal was to entice customers to take that first sip. Afterward, the wines speak for themselves.”

To appeal to both Brooklynites and wine connoisseurs, the labels for two of the eight varieties, which will be released over the next two years, feature an image of Brooklyn’s iconic bridge.”

“The client was fascinated by the fact that when Roebling designed the Brooklyn Bridge, he knew it couldn’t compete with the skyline of Manhattan,” Citarella says. “So he decided to build it to emulate the arched stained-glass windows of a church. This way, the bridge itself would become a backdrop for some of the most unforgettable skies imaginable.”

Citarella took advantage of those skies to create unique color palettes that capture the flavor of each wine: reds and oranges for the red wine and pale blue and gold for the white. He explains, “After experimenting with hundreds of combinations, we found the palette that embodied the visual identity of the flavor of each wine.”

Title: Brooklyn Wine Co. Labels
Firm: ERA404 Creative Group, Inc., Portage, MI: www.era404.com
Client: Brooklyn Wine Co.
Timeline: Two Months
Creative Team: Don Citarella, Creative Director; Ryan Seslow, Illustrator