When Bioteen set out to refine its identity in the teen wellness space, the goal was clear: build a packaging system that reflects the clarity and focus the brand promotes. As a range of science-backed nutritional supplements formulated specifically for teen health, Bioteen needed a look that felt fresh, trustworthy, and age-appropriate—without the gimmicks. Bioteen packaging design—including Relaxify, Learnergy, and SuperSleep—strikes a balance between clinical credibility and emotional warmth. Each pack features:

• A crisp white base that signals purity and health

• Vibrant accent colours to differentiate benefits and aid product navigation:

  • Relaxify → calming blue

  • Learnergy → energising yellow

  • SuperSleep → tranquil turquoise

• Minimalist layout with clear hierarchy, making it easy to understand benefits at a glance

• Soft rounded type and colour blocks that add friendliness to an otherwise clean, clinical space

  The final design is a fresh-faced, credible wellness identity that makes health support for teens feel not only accessible, but aspirational.

For more information on the Bioteen Range. Click here.

When global dairy brand expanded its presence in the South African market with a newDouble Cream Yoghurt ran ge, they turned to Bravo Design to translate product richness into a packaging system that’s bright, honest, and built to win on shelf.

Our task? Develop a look that’s friendly and familiar, but still premium—bridging Kiri’s global identity with local flavour preferences and on-shelf dynamics.

The Kiri Double Cream Yoghurt range was designed to deliver immediate flavour cues and strong fridge visibility. We combined a vivid colour palette, clear product visuals, and ingredient-driven storytelling to ensure the packs communicate indulgence without clutter. Each variant uses a distinct colour band for easy navigation, helping shoppers spot their favourites at a glance.

A rich blue masterbrand background anchors the range, complemented by natural textures like grass, herbs, and spices that convey freshness, flavour, and realness. Product bowls float on clean fields of green or blue, offering a fresh-from-the-fridge feel with minimal visual noise.

As a household name worldwide, the Kiri logo holds significant recognition. We preserved its integrity while building a packaging language that feels relevant to South African consumers. From Vanilla; Cinnamon to Mixed Berry and Plain, each SKU tells a subtle flavour story, reinforced by clean, inviting imagery and clear typography.

We also incorporated “NEW” indicators and strong front-of-pack claims (like “Double Cream”) to grab attention and drive trial—particularly important in a competitive, innovation-driven yoghurt category.

Fridge packs need more than just great design—they need structural clarity. The upright 900g tubs gave us a canvas for vertical storytelling, brand blocking, and colour banding that works at every shopper angle. The result is a shelf presence that feels both familiar and exciting—reassuring existing fans while attracting new ones.

The Globe blends heritage and innovation, with a gold-foiled, embossed hourglass reimagining the winery family crest in a timeless design.

Diemersdal Estate has released the first South African wine to be fermented and matured in Wineglobes, bulbous pure glass containers designed specifically for winemaking. This groundbreaking approach seamlessly blends tradition with cutting-edge innovation, mirroring the design philosophy behind The Globe Sauvignon Blanc.

The Globe’s label is a visual celebration of time, heritage, and craftsmanship, encapsulating Diemersdal’s pioneering spirit. At its center is an intricately designed hourglass, a refined reimagining of the Louw family crest, symbolizing a proud legacy spanning six generations.

The flowing sand within the hourglass represents the delicate balance between tradition and progress, mirroring the patience and dedication required to craft exceptional wine. It reflects the natural cycles of winemaking, where history and innovation coexist. This symbolic design serves as a reminder that every bottle holds the essence of time—honoring the legacy while envisioning the future.

Elevating this concept further, the label features gold foiling and blind embossing, adding depth, texture, and a touch of luxury. More than just an aesthetic choice, this design is an ode to visionary winemaking. Deeply rooted in history yet embracing the future, The Globe embodies the innovation that has defined Diemersdal since its founding in 1885.

How smart packaging design helped a household dairy brand make a fresh statement in the dips category.

When Lancewood, a trusted name in South African dairy, expanded into the chilled dips category, they partnered with Bravo Design to create packaging for the new DIP de’lite range—aimed at health-conscious, flavour-loving consumers. The result? A packaging system that is as bold and contemporary as it is clean and easy to shop.

Designing for Clarity and Craveability

DIP de’lite needed to stand out in a crowded fridge filled with visual noise. Our solution was a clean, modern design system that balances white space with bold typography, allowing flavour names and product benefits to take center stage. A restrained palette with vibrant flavour cues makes it easy for consumers to distinguish between variants quickly—whether they’re shopping in-store or reaching into a home fridge.

Visual Hierarchy That Drives Selection

We focused on creating a clear visual hierarchy: brand first, flavour second, and benefit third. The Lancewood logo anchors the top of the pack, reinforcing trust and familiarity. Just below, oversized flavour names in confident sans-serif type create strong shelf readability.

Freshness Through Colour and Simplicity

Each variant in the range features a bold colour block or icon associated with its core ingredient—such as chives, peppers, or cucumber—adding immediate recognition and freshness cues. The use of clean backgrounds and subtle textures enhances the sense of quality.

Form Meets Function

Beyond the aesthetics, we considered practical factors like fridge visibility, on-shelf blocking, and product usability. The round tub format, paired with a consistent visual system across the range, creates strong brand blocking in the chilled section—helping the product stand out as a cohesive family while making individual flavours easy to spot.

A Fresh Take on Healthy Indulgence

DIP de’lite isn’t just about taste—it’s about smarter snacking. Our design reflects that ethos by balancing indulgent appeal with clean-living cues. It’s fresh, honest, and versatile—just like the product.

When Engen asked Bravo Design to design retail packaging for in-store sweets range, the goal was clear: design a visual identity that grabs attention, appeals to impulse buyers, and reflects the product’s playful spirit—without losing the Engen brand’s familiar feel. The result is a bold, vibrant range that blends creative design with smart retail strategy, delivering real shelf impact.

With only seconds to catch a shopper’s eye, the QShop sweets range had to be instantly visible. We used bold, high-contrast colour palettes and full-illustrative designs to make sure each pack stands out. Every detail was crafted to attract, engage, and convert casual browsers into confident buyers. It’s packaging that sells—without saying a word.

To bring more personality to the shelf, we created unique illustrations for every sweet variant. These fun characters give the range a playful, friendly feel that younger shoppers love. The illustrations also help build quick product recognition and set the range apart from generic alternatives.

Colour played a key role in the design. Each pack was colour-coded to show flavour, help shoppers make quick decisions, and build long-term brand recognition. This consistent use of bright, targeted colour improves visibility and helps turn interest into action.

QShop is exclusive to Engen stores, so it needed to feel exciting and new—while still fitting the trusted Engen identity. Our solution was a clean, cohesive packaging system that balances fun and familiarity. The final result is a strong in-store sub-brand that delivers visual energy, brand clarity, and shopper appeal.

Project Overview:

At Bravo Design, we thrive on embracing challenges and pushing the boundaries of creativity. When we received an exclusive invitation as one of twenty agencies globally to participate in the prestigious Make a Mark global project—an elite packaging design exhibition annually unveiled in Luxepack Monaco —we knew we had a unique opportunity to create something groundbreaking. Our mission was to conceptualise packaging that seamlessly fused the traditional essence of South African storytelling with cutting-edge modernity. The result was a revolutionary prototype packaging for an Agave spirit, and our journey into uncharted territory began.

This is the story of Karoo Mermaid.

Approach: You can’t hide from AI. It has arrived.

Seeking to create a product authentically rooted in South African culture, we drew inspiration from the folklore of ‘Karoo Mermaids’ to unveil their packaging prototype for a craft Agave spirit, made from the indigenous plants which grow in the semi-arid Karoo landscape.

Here, our research led us to rock art paintings depicting creatures with the upper bodies of humans, and fish-tails, on the walls of caves high in the mountains.  South Africa’s culture is rich with fabled storytelling and myths, but we found the folklore of ‘Karoo Mermaids’ especially intriguing.

We then took the unconventional route of incorporating AI to guide the design’s conceptual journey. We merged centuries-old creative storytelling with modern technology to ultimately display what a product that embodies both futuristic design and the soul of creativity. We harnessed AI tools including ChatGPT and Midjourney, which creates images using prompts, acknowledging that AI, while promising, required expert guidance to achieve desired design outcomes.

AI was more than just a tool; it became an indispensable member of our team, reshaping our perspective on design and innovation. We harnessed its capabilities to explore new dimensions of creativity and to visualize ideas that were previously hard to explain.

Result: An impossibly beautiful design that pushes design into new frontiers

To bring our concept to life, we collaborated with industry leaders and Make a Mark partners ESTAL, Avery Dennison, and Leonhard KURZ. These packaging leaders provided us with cutting-edge materials, pantones, and techniques that became integral to our design. The heart of our creation was a glass bottle, meticulously crafted to echo the grandeur of mermaids. The bottle’s base, mirroring the mythical “pools” of the Karoo, added a stroke of brilliance. Furthermore, we incorporated a colour-changing foil, a prototype engineered exclusively for our project by KURZ. This foil mimicked the mesmerizing interplay of light on mermaid scales, enhancing the overall aesthetic.

Challenges: When the sky is the limit you need to pick your thermals

1. Conceptualisation: One of the primary challenges was deciding on the concept for this open brief project. Additionally, aligning production timelines with design, particularly for the glass bottle, posed a significant challenge.
2. AI Integration: Incorporating AI into the creative process was a learning journey. We experimented with various prompts, discovering AI’s strengths and weaknesses, and continuously improved our approach.
3. Colour-changing foil: Managing the integration of the colour-changing foil was made possible through collaboration with KURZ. This innovative material added a unique dimension to our design, resembling the ever-shifting colours of mermaid scales. This application didn’t exist until we requested it, and KURZ essentially created a prototype foil for us.

New Frontiers: Anything is possible.

• Our project pushed the boundaries of design by combining complexity in printing with the use of innovative materials. We ventured into uncharted territory, merging traditional South African narratives with modern technology and AI. Unlike other creative agencies we didn’t fear AI but embraced it.
• We learned not to fear the unknown and to foster collaboration with top partners for unlocking new ideas and innovations.
• Choosing an authentic story is crucial for brand success. Our story, inspired by ancient rock art and AI, yielded beautiful colours and a compelling narrative.

This is the realm of limitless possibilities – and BRAVO bravely accepted the challenge. This project took eight months to complete, and in the process our team entered a new frontier of graphic design. We embraced artificial intelligence, and in doing so charged towards a new, exciting and limitless future.
There is no hiding anymore. AI has arrived, and we are ready for it.

Materials: When the best in global packaging supplies is at your disposal

Our project’s success was due in large part to our collaboration with leading industry partners:

• Estal Glass: We customised a glass bottle inspired by Estal’s existing designs, giving it a unique tactile quality.
• Leonhard KURZ: They provided a teal foil, silver foil, and a groundbreaking colour-changing foil, creating an exquisite visual and tactile experience.
• Avery Dennison: We used their Fasson cotton white paper, an uncoated paper that showcased the foiling and embossing techniques beautifully.
• Tapi: They contributed to the project by creating a custom glass stopper.
• Vollherbst: Our print partner in Germany helped bring our labels to life with precision nano and micro embossing, ensuring high-quality printing.

Read more about the Make a Mark Project.

BRAVO Design ‘enters the unknown’ with unique ceramic bottles to showcase artisanal Cape Saint Blaize gin

Bottling the feelings evoked by a landscape is no small feat – yet this was the brief given to BRAVO Design by Cape Saint Blaize distillery ahead of the launch of their series of gins. Drawing inspiration from the landscape of Mossel Bay and through extensive collaboration, the design process yielded a genuinely unique packaging that speaks to the brand’s values of authenticity and innovation.

The project
Cape Saint Blaize Distillery launched a range of gins – Classic, Floristic and Oceanic – and needed packaging that would stand apart in a highly competitive market while representing the distillery’s home of Mossel Bay.
The distillery captures the spirit of Eden through rare botanical selection and artful distillation. Each bottle is artfully distilled, bottled, and hand labelled as an ode to their home on the Garden Route.
The design team was instructed to take inspiration from the Cape Saint Blaize lighthouse, an icon on Mossel Bay’s coastline since 1864.
The square, white tower lighthouse stands on the cliffs of Saint Blaize, more than 20 metres above a cliff face, overlooking sandy beached and a rugged coastline responsibly for often dangerous and rough seas. The coastline has a rich heritage, with the lighthouse standing above a cave that houses some of South Africa’s first Middle Stone Age archaeological excavations.
Drawing inspiration from the natural landscape gave rise to the idea of a departure from the traditional trade glass bottles used by most distilleries. Instead, it led the design team towards working with natural materials that would create a tactile experience.
“We had to ask ourselves: ‘How do you bring a new gin to a highly competitive category and make it stand out?’,” says Brenden Schwartz, owner and creative director at BRAVO Design.

Solution
With the distillery open to exploring the alternative bottle, BRAVO Design began creating a unique, 360° packaging solution, that would pay homage to the brand’s ethos of creating handmade, artisanal products. The result was nothing short of inspiring, and totally unique to the SA market: a ceramic bottle representing the clean lines of the Cape Saint Blaize lighthouse and rugged coastline cliffs was to take centre stage, and would be offset with a clean design and high-quality labelling that embraced the distillery’s logo and complemented the ceramic. “It was important for the label not to compete, but to complement, the ceramic packaging,” says Schwartz.
It was a novel idea, and the team at BRAVO Design was delighted that the Cape Saint Blaize team was equally excited by the proposed direction: “The commitment and dedication of the Cape Saint Blaize team showed in their willingness to submit to the creative process,” said Schwartz.
“With committed clients, you can achieve anything even when entering the unknown. The unknown is the exiting space we like to work in, and our designers readily embraced the innovative ethos of the brand in creating something to push boundaries.”

Challenges
Creating a handcrafted ceramic bottle presented several challenges, which were taken on by a ceramic workshop alongside the distillery.  The shape and form of the bottle evoke the historical lines of the Cape Saint Blaize lighthouse, but its production was a completely new experience for the design team.
There were many learning curves during the development process, with ceramicists having to account for the fact that the bottles both shrink and straighten as they dry, taking on a different shape to that moulded. The bottles were finally made of porcelain after experimentation with different clays.
“This is the secret to the design’s success. It’s an innovation from the ground up. None of us had ever worked with a ceramic bottle, and it took a collaboration with very skilled people from different fields to execute the design,” says Schwartz.

“In the end we achieved  balance between the bottle, the brand icon and the label. On the surface, or at first glance, the packaging appears, clean and minimalist, exactly like we intended, But while a minimalistic design often looks simple on the finished project, it’s far from easy to achieve,” reveals Schwartz, adding, “the fewer elements you have, the more you have to pay attention to every detail. Just one mistake will show up clearly.”

Result
The result is a beautifully balanced design of handcrafted porcelain bottles and distinctive brand iconography that ensures the brand engages all the senses. On a thick, natural paper, the label embraces the Cape Saint Blaize logo and emphasizes the ceramic design – created in three colours for each gin variant. The attention to detail in the final product is evident throughout – from the ceramic bottle cast on-site at the distillery to the hand-applied label and wooden stopper.
Through collaboration, the team at BRAVO Design  created a piece of art that you can take home. “People fall in love with the brand before they’ve even tasted it because they are drawn to the feeling the bottle evokes when they see it on the shelf. We’ve created a packaging that is both intriguing and beautiful, and that stands out in a highly competitive category,” says Schwartz
Besides drawing the consumer into the brand story, the packaging speaks to the brand’s commitment and dedication to create an artisanal product.
“It’s about moving away from creating just packaging. The Cape Saint Blaize team is offering customers something that few brands do – they offer something truly artisanal, something that’s unique and beautiful. The whole process allows for small batches of gin to be created, ensuring a quality that mass-produced offerings can’t mimic.”

Delivering unique design
“This was a very unique and original project,” says Schwartz. “Despite working with hundreds of brands over the last few years, this project held so many firsts for us and will definitely remain a standout collaboration in years to come. But what really sets the project apart is the Cape Saint Blaize team’s commitment to innovation. They fully embraced the co-creation between client and designer, and it delivered a truly unique product that stands out from its competitors.”

Also featured on The Best Packaging Designs by DesignRush

In what organisers called “a close second”, South African wine label Vinoneers’ Orpheus & The Raven, has just been announced as the runner-up in the international Drinks Business Awards for Best Design & Packaging for Wine. These awards have become the most authoritative and internationally respected badge of achievement in the alcoholic drinks industry. For the owners of Orpheus & The Raven, winemaker Etienne Louw and graphic designer Brenden Schwartz, owner of BRAVO Design in Cape Town, this global recognition is invaluable.

The announcement was made by Drinks Business’ editor-in-chief, Patrick Schmitt (MW), via a virtual ceremony on Thursday, 1 October. At approximately 02:55 into live broadcast, Schmitt makes the announcement for Best Design & Packaging for Wine, commenting on Orpheus & The Raven’s achievement: “They (the judges) wanted to (also) award a design that came a close-run second to this year’s winner (which was awarded to YG Design for Viña San Pedro Tayú 1865).”

“With this announcement in place, Orpheus & The Raven can now officially, but humbly, claim to be one of the most beautiful labels in the world of wine,” said an elated Brenden following the awards.

Just two friends wanting to do something different

With nothing in their arsenal except passion, creativity, energy, and a single wine vat, Brenden and Etienne started Vinoneers, the umbrella company for the brand Orpheus & The Raven in 2010. From the onset, this creative duo wanted to offer wine consumers something different, and so the seed for a wine label that would be “an assault on the senses” was born. The labels were designed by BRAVO design and offers stand-out details: they ‘wrap’ around the bottles in a seemingly continuous fold of energy, depicting detailed sketches inspired by the Greek play Orpheus in the Underworld. Each wine in the range features a dramatic hand-drawn, baroque-style sketch in the style of 16^th century German artist Albrecht Dürer, with Orpheus and his sidekick, Raven, depicted on each.

Etienne, whose musical talent is represented with Orpheus and his lyre, says that the labels perfectly captures the winemaker’s journey as artist: “Every label in the range is a unique piece of art, and represents the processes required to develop a brand from concept to conclusion, and also the artful transformation from grape to wine.” To date, this artist’s portfolio includes a Chenin Blanc, the 42 Red Blend, Pinotage Nr. 7 and the Last Swansong Gewürztraminer, and can be purchased via online wine retailer, Port2Port.wine.

No stranger to awards, Orpheus & The Raven labels have been the recipient of critical acclaim in the past: it won the Grand Prix award at the local 2018 Winemag Wine Label Design Awards, and three Gold Medals at its 2019 awards – more than any other producer.

In the spirit of Orpheus in the Underworld, which encourages its audience to “never look back”, Etienne and Brenden say they are exceptionally proud that SA wine and design can represent on the world stage and look forward to the future: “At the end of a tough year, Orpheus and his side-kick Raven played the final tune – and it was a happy one!”

The name Hazendal originates from dutch and translates to, “the valley of the hare”.  The abundance of wild hares in the area was so significant that the name stuck hundreds of years later.  Since then there has been numerous developments on the estate apart from creating beautiful wines.

Our approach for the Hazendal upgrade is to highlight all the beautiful aspects of the current estate through the lens of the first noteworthy feature of the estate, the hare.  To achieve this, we developed an engaging illustration of a wild hare, constructed out of significant features from the estate. This includes, the original manor house, fauna and flora, the mountain scenery and vineyards. To complement the detailed illustration,  we treated the rest of the design as clean and minimalist as possible.

The Result is is a timeless design that is both intricate and subtle. From afar the large hare grabs ones attention, but once in hand the details and rich story comes to life.

Over the Years it has become a paradise for wine, leisure, culture and the love of the outdoors. Hazendal has developed an ecologically friendly golf course, created a game reserve for indigenous fauna and flora  and invested in antiquities and art peppered across the estate for all to enjoy.

The Delft inspired hand-drawn illustration showcases the historical and winemaking facets of the Durbanville region with the vineyards depicted through the view of Table Mountain forming the centre of the illustration.

The region’s Dutch heritage is eloquently illustrated in all aspects of the Durbanville Valley Sauvignon blanc wine label from the Delft-blue rendering to the custom typography. The ensemble of historic landmarks were subtly incorporated in the illustration to further showcase the area’s rich history. The association with agriculture also emerges in the tractor, grape harvesting, and pumpkins with the latter also a reference to the region’s original name. Pampoenkraal (Pumpkin Kraal) hails from Afrikaans, which is further represented in the word “oesjaar”, meaning vintage.

IMVINI WETHU

“Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”

The South African wine industry was particularly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Lockdown regulations and blanket bans on alcohol sales threatened the livelihoods of many South Africans dependant on the wine industry for their only income. Together with a group of business owners, wine importers and other wine professionals, Vollherbst found a creative and sustainable solution to support the South African wine industry.

“Alone we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” perfectly describes this extraordinary project, where a cross-continental, interdisciplinary team developed a completely new wine in a completely new packaging in a very short space of time with only one goal – to support the people in our own industry who suffered the most.

The label was conceptualized as a creative, German-South African collaboration by Vollherbst, Bravodesign and Feed That Bird.  The label illustration showcases a traditional South African vine inhabited by well-known South African birds with the typical Cape wind blowing from all four directions. Below, winemakers are at work and in the background the sun rises over Table Mountain. The clouds are starting to disappear – A glimmer of hope in difficult times. The wine label was illustrated by hand by @bravodesign_packaging in Cape Town.

All project participants have contributed their personal work to the project free of charge. This allows us to support the @cwg_protege_programme and the @oldvineproject with an amount of 5€ with every purchase of a bottle – to preserve the South African wine culture. The edition is limited to 9,000 bottles. The wine is a signature Cape blend of Cinsault and Pinotage. Its grapes come from some of the oldest vineyards in South Africa. More info and sources of supply at www.imviniwethu.com

Thanks to our partners for exceptional collaboration and new friendships:
@imviniwethu; @cwg_protege_programme; @cape_winemakers_guild; @oldvineproject; @capreo_wine @wosa_de;  @pellegrini_wine; @linke_weine; @vollherbst_etiktetten_labels; @feedthatbird

“Nederburg has gone through many changes over the years, both in positioning and identity, and some more dramatic than others… we wanted to maintain the leadership (position) of the brand in the wine category,” says Jackie Oliver, Marketing Manager at Nedeburg. “We want the consumers to see a familiar wine brand, a brand that’s been within the South African industry for 200 years, a brand that has a story to tell, that has equity. To retain the familiarity within the Nederburg brand we had to look back at all the logos and how they’ve changed over the years, we had to try and find certain elements that bring across the symbolism of nederburg and specifically, its values.”

With this as background, the team at BRAVO was briefed to look at the entire Nederburg range, from Nederburg’s flagship Two Centuries to its Foundation series. An immediate focus was the brand’s iconography: what it stood for, and what it revealed became important aspects to consider.

Without compromising on any of the owned elements of the brand, BRAVO Design had ‘free reign’ to update the wine labels with a design that would work in local and international markets.  The goal was to simplify and refine the existing labels, while also introducing a new style of wine. “Our heritage is important to us, and we wanted it to stand out with a clear name and crest, the latter which we wanted to have a more refined look by incorporating Nederburg’s iconic red,” explains Jackie. They also didn’t want to compromise on any of the owned elements of the brand – the diagonal shape of the label and the Nederburg font.

“An immediate focus was the Nederburg shield, and the two anchors, that have always been present on Nederburg labels,” says Brenden Schwartz, Owner and Creative Director at BRAVO. “When we began our research, it wasn’t clear what the brand connection to Nederburg was. What we found was that the shield resembled that of Haacke Beck brewery, where one of the Graue’s was a director in the 1800s.”  The goal was to respect the old iconography, but to infuse it with meaning.

“For Nederburg, and for this specific rebranding, we really delved into the depths of the brand’s identity. It is so important for brands to understand their own identity,” says Brenden.

Nederburg’s new labels very clearly draws on the past, while also being distinctly refreshed; the brand’s new labels offer clearly enhanced assets, with the Nederburg crest, in vivid red, enjoying prominence in its centre. “The shield and its anchors now also stand for something,” says Brenden.

The anchors that are used as a symbol of hope and steadfastness have been further developed to not only be inspired by the original Haacke-Beck Crest but also to represent Nederburg’s vision, with the flame above the left anchor and a star on the right representing the brand’s journey of innovation and discovery. Unity, the core value to Nederburg’s success is represented by the rope tying the anchors together. On the left of the mantel are the Oak trees and on the right are the iconic flowers of the cork trees, with the crown, representing Nederburg’s craft and pride of viticulture. Together all the iconography in the crest represents the modern day values and heritage of Nederburg.

Across the range, the brand name is presented at a diagonal angle, with Nederburg, in a black high-build varnish, mirroring the 35° slant at the bottom of the ‘cork cream’ labels. An intricate border, in gold foil, reveals a delicate pattern of vine leaves and tendrils, adding a sophisticated edge to the label.

“I believe this brand refresh not only respected the premiumisation of the brand, but also created value. Superfluous elements have been removed, with each of the remaining elements conveying something about the brand,” says Brenden. “It was amazing working with one of the biggest brands in South Africa, one that is known internationally, and to integrate this global standing in the design we developed for the new labels.”

“It was a dynamic experience, and we believe the new labels reflect the dynamism represented by this well-established brand,” added Brenden.

Read more on Nederburg Wines.

Behold the new Black Crown Gin and Tonic RTD inspired by all things regal, with gold embellishments and detailing to bring a touch of luxury to this bold design.

For more information about Black Crown Gin and Tonic

Pink Saphire by Boity packaging design represents the perfume’s charismatic poetic alchemy with it’s vibrant and multifaceted jewel shape. The colour turquoise perfectly encapsulated the serenity and sensuality representing the brand. The icon and embellished chain detail holds a quirky symbolism inspired by a necklace often worn by Boity – giving it a personal touch and an emotional connection to the overall design.

More information on BOITY beauty product line by Halo Heritage

Axi Lwanda Gin Packaging – a trio of contemporary gins that capture the authentic spirit of Angola.
Our contemporary design takes inspiration from the culture of the local people whose lively hood is closely linked to the ocean and its natural treasures, representing a natural connection between the people and plants.

A unique combination of blind embossing and transparent foil highlights these finer details, while the heart of our AXI design is raised by 3D gold foil emboss.

The AXILwanda distillery is located in Ilha do Cabo, the site of the two family restaurants managed by Manuel Bastos, Quintal da Tia Guida I and Quintal da Tia Guida II. The “AXI”, as the young entrepreneur prefers to call his gin, “is a toast to the Angolan Nation and the African continent, as proof that we can do something,” he said.

Despite being born in Ilha do Cabo, in Luanda, AXILwanda is for the world because it is produced according to international standards. The first element that catches our attention is the branding, but the bottle, designed in detail, is also a show-stealer. In a first phase, 1000 bottles were released in the market, distributed by the company through its own channels. Soon, AXILwanda will also have rosé and lemongrass versions, and its own store and bar, installed in the distillery, where it will be possible to make tastings and guided tours of the production process. In the end, visitors will be able to make their own gin, guaranteed Manuel Bastos.

Printing done by VollherbstDruck
More Gin packaging design projects by Bravo Design
Featured in Packaging of the World

The new, iconic Triple 3 Raspberry Blush gin packaging combines subtle and overt design elements to bring the brand’s heritage integrally into the label.

The story of three generations of German master distillers, who used three distinctive and unique Copper Stills named Mrs Mueller, Uncle Konrad and Mr Holstein to produce this premium gin, is brought to life in the high-build varnish.
Pink and silver foils add focal points on the label, including the striking icon, with Vollherbst Etiketten completing the high-quality print on Tintoretto black pepper paper.

In a lesson of brand authenticity, Germany-based wine brand, Herz über Kopf, recently acquired the services of our South African design company, Bravo Design in Cape Town, to assist it with its label designs. Instead of only telling its customers to make choices inspired by their hearts, Andreas Ambs, winemaker and owner of Herz über Kopf led by example when he decided not to be encumbered by language or boundaries when it came to choosing a design agency – selecting one situated at the tip of Africa, because this is where he found the atmosphere, the creativity and the personalities of a design team to suit his brand.

Herz über Kopf is the ‘young, uncomplicated and fun-loving brand’ of established winery, Josef Ambs in Kaiserstuhl. The brand launched in 2019 with a white wine (Müller Thurgau) and shortly thereafter, a Rosé.

Intended to represent a new and inspiring wine concept, the brand opted to not necessarily focus on the wine varieties, but rather what the wine represents: freedom and those special moments in which the heart wins! The emotive element was to become the determining factor for a wine label design that had to capture the attention of consumers who are sociable and seeking new experiences. Being a fun market segment, these consumers are also notoriously difficult to design for; they buy on impulse, which means a wine label has to entice enough to elicit an impulse buy, while being engaging enough to also convert them into loyal fans.

Our response was to design a packaging concept that creates interest in the German middle-segment market, with an attractive label that is powerful – but not overpowering. We achieved this with a design that is super funky and contemporary, supported with classic design values of colour and shape to assist brand recall and recognition – with the very strong circle and teal colour – creating recall from five metres away. The brand story comes to life with the decorative detail – the crowd of tiny outlines of people caught in ‘heart-driven’ moments – that you engage with once you have the brand in hand. The circles seem to represent ripples of energy, pulsating from the center of the label which also depicts the brand name, with ‘Kopf’ cleverly inverted as a literal interpretation of the brand’s ethos.

Once the design was signed off, Vollherbst Labels in Germany provided the print and finishing concept: a classy embossed label with copper foil that elevated the label, while also being a budget appropriate option.

Creativity certainly does not happen in isolation. The best results are achieved when the studio and client work together in solving creative challenges – as a team. This symbiotic synergy is where the young and innovative team of Herz über Kopf really shined. This ‘co-creation’ attitude – across 13 000kms – resulted in a design that can claim its unique spot in the hearts of consumers. Job done!

They way people are consuming wine is changing.

JC le Roux Sparkling Wine Single Serve is a perfect example of adapting with the times. Giving consumers the option to pack light and enjoy their favourite sparkling wine on the go. More consumers today are on the go and not all places where people want to enjoy a drink allow glass packaging.

The best part about the JC le Roux Sparkling Wine Single Serve  is that you can enjoy it without having to open a whole bottle.  People have also become more eco-conscious. Carbon footprints created by full-size wine bottles, especially when adding in their transportation from producer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer, is a cost against the environment that some drinkers now see as being too negative. These people prefer greener options and will buy wines with eco-friendly packaging. This means lighter options like cans that are also easier to recycle.

“Canned wine became the fastest growing segment in the U.S. in 2016, seeing triple-digit growth year after year,” says Union Wine Founder and Owner, Ryan Harms. “It has grown to become a $14-million industry, meaning it’s no longer just a trend, it’s a category.”

Regarding the design language, we wanted to stay keeping with the iconic brand language and inspired by the variant intrinsic we added soft floral compositions and a lively spring colour palette to this dynamic new format for JC le Roux Sparkling Wine Single Serve Slimline Cans.

For more packaging design for JC le Roux by us – view here.

Blind Belief in Authority is the Enemy of Truth

Cathedral Cellar

Under the beautiful domed ceiling of the Cathedral Cellar, in the impressive presence of the ornate, hard-carved ‘stukvate’, each label of this unique premium wine series reflects the engraved legacy inspired by the story of the South African wine industry.

View another iconic KWV packaging design project here.

Read more about the Cathedral Cellar wine range

Roodeberg  the cherished South African red blend that resonates in the hearts and minds of wine lovers the world over. As part of the celebration of  70 years of exceptional wine. With the Roodeberg 70th Anniversary Packaging, we’ve given this iconic South African brand a fresh new look, including a larger, bolder label, updated closure and unique commemorative cylinder.

Roodeberg has been a part of the fibre of the South African wine culture since 1949, making it one of South Africa’s iconic wine brands. Today Roodeberg maintains is legendary heritage and consistency, while continually evolving in line with the modern lifestyle of its consumers. Therefore the Roodeberg range now also includes a Rosé, a white blend and an opulent red blend, Dr Charles Niehaus, named after Roodeberg’s founding father.

The range leads with the iconic Roodeberg red, an elegant fresh red wine with aromas of raspberry, red cherry and mulberry with subtle nuances of spice. The palate is beautifully layered with well-integrated, silky tannins and a lingering finish. KWV continues to uphold the brand’s reputation as an ‘icon’ brand with these wines that are respected for their immaculate structure, outstanding quality, and its consistent drinking pleasure.

Read more about Roodeberg here.