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.

 

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.

 

 

Inspired by the creative muse who often takes hold of her subjects at night, BRAVO Design inspired a group of winemakers at Kleine Zalze to create their own labels for their ‘secret’ nocturnal vinfications. The result? An example of what is possible beyond the realms of the expected and the ordinary.

The project

Kleine Zalze is a well-established and popular South African wine brand. It is best known for producing a range of wines, ranging from easy-to-drink to the more serious, with wine labels that are classic in design, conveying the reputable standing of the liquid it encases. However, an opportunity to promote the experiential wine batches of Kleine Zalze’s winemakers presented an occasion to showcase the brand’s more contemporary nature with labels that were as distinct as the wines it had to promote.

“The winemakers were instructed to go ‘play’ in the cellar. To experiment and push the boundaries of winemaking,” explains Brenden Schwartz, owner and creative director at BRAVO Design. These wines were collectively called Project Z: with cellar practices that involved prolonged skin-contact, natural fermentation, lees-aging in amphora and solera methods, this project truly captured the creativity of the winemakers in the cellar – and now the aim was to dress the bottles in a way that would reflect the winemakers’ creativity.

“The wines are phenomenal, and we knew that the personal investment of each of the winemakers had to pull through into the branding aspects of the wine,” says Brenden. To achieve this, BRAVO Design did the (almost) unthinkable: BRAVO relinquished control in design, instead allowing the winemakers to take the lead in the conceptualisation and drawing of their own labels. Allowing the winemaking team to own the full process of the creation of the first wines to be released in this range.

“The idea was liked, but also feared,” laughs Brenden, “but we knew these wines needed something unique, something different to any other Kleine Zalze label – or any other in the industry, for that matter.”

It was a big leap of faith, and also an exercise in boosting confidence: “The idea was accepted, yes, but the winemakers were full of self-doubt. Would the work they deliver be good enough?” reveals Carina Gous, Marketing and Sales Executive at Kleine Zalze, who headed the project.

Execution

BRAVO, assisted by artist Theo Paul Vorster, held a 3-day workshop during which winemakers could brainstorm and give creative expression to their label designs. The group landed on the idea of the ‘secret 7’ as inspiration for the labels, referring to exceptional animals that secretly roam the night – just like the winemakers who ‘secretly’ tended to their experimental wine batches at night.

“To achieve consistency with all the labels, and the different animals, it was decided to have all these animals illustrated within a circle, which became the golden thread connecting the six wines in the range,” explains Carina.

With the artistic guidance of Theo, winemakers were taught the skill of linocut: they conceptualised a drawing of the nocturnal animal that resonated with them personally, and over the course of the three days, spent hours delicately carving the intricate details that would ultimately become the print for their labels.

Result

“It was a truly transformative experience,” recalls Brenden, “as the drawings and linocuts started to take shape you could see the heart and soul of the winemakers manifesting.” In the end the self-doubt in the winemakers was transformed into a truly proud feeling. “The winemakers couldn’t believe the result,” says Carina.

The first print of each of the linocuts was used to create the respective black-and-white printed labels. With the designs being so detailed, the labels received very little in terms of added embellishments: it stays true to the original hand-printed linocut printing techniques which allows the artworks to remain the hero.

KLEINE ZALZE PROJECT Z

The collection of wines in the Project Z range was launched into the market to much acclaim. Wines n the range have all earned scores upwards of 90+, and the labels have added to the appeal of having the full range of six wines, instead of a single bottle.

“People have been blown away by the labels,” says Carina. “There is a real honesty to the labels, they have soul,” adds Brenden, “it just goes to show, that design isn’t always about design but understanding what you want to do. Sometimes what is right for the brand is found outside conventional borders.”

The BRAVO way: Everytime

“BRAVO was phenomenal,” says Carina, “they were there from the start, really coming onboard as a strategic partner. They understood what was needed from the get-go. Brenden has so much knowledge of art and wine, insight and understanding. It contributed to the project’s success.”

Read more on the Wine Collection here.

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.

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.

Radiance Collection of the House of JC Le Roux  is inspired by the beauty and inner radiance of flowers. The JC Le Roux Radiance Collection is an expression of vibrancy and individuality with bold expressions of colour and individuality capturing the brand essence perfectly.

The individual bottle foils each feature a beautiful, vibrant floral design with the Le Domaine adorned with the Plumeria flower, the La Fleurette with Tulips and the La Chanson with Poppies. Each bloom was selected for their beautiful colours, the happiness they bring to celebratory occasions and how well they match the personality of each sparkling wine.

The Le Domaine is a delightful, youthful sparkling wine with the finesse and freshness of a Sauvignon Blanc intertwined with the gentle sweetness of the Muscadel. The lively, playful passion-pink sparkling wine, La Fleurette, reveals a delightful combination of sweet, fruity flavours with hints of strawberry, plum and tropical fruit, perfectly balanced freshness and a rich Muscat taste. The low-in-alcohol La Chanson is a refreshing ruby-red sparkling wine with a delightfully sweet, fruity taste of strawberries and plums.

The history of JC Le Roux dates back to 1704 when a French Huguenot, Jean le Roux who planted vines in Stellenbosch. This tradition was continued by his descendants. In 1983 the first Sauvignon Blanc sparkling wine was made and soon became so popular a Pinot Noir Methode Cap Classique followed in 1985.

Here’s more JC le Roux projects by Bravo Design

KWV Guardian Collection wine packaging is a tribute to Ganymede, cup-bearer of the gods, that is the central figure on the main pediment at KWV Head Office. Ganymede is joined by angels, gargoyles and lions, making up the The Guardians of KWV and overseeing all past and future pioneers.

Also view the newly designed KWV Laborie Range here.

Origin Craft Club Wine Packaging

Origin Craft Club Wine Packaging is a famous children’s nursery rhyme playfully retold in the quirky visually illustrated modern retake of the tale of Three Blind Mice for Origin Craft Club Wine Organic Wine Collection.  The packaging is visually quirky and follows suit with the fact that you will find wine in a beer bottle, a trend that is recently more popular as the demand for a single serve option for wine drinkers are on the rise…

Read more here on the product.

Pongrácz MCC Noble Nectar Wine Packaging

Pongrácz MCC Noble Nectar Wine Packaging designed by Bravo Design for Pongrácz, is one of South Africa’s finest Méthode Cap Classique’s producers.  Noble Nectar, a demi-sec blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to complement its range made in the traditional French method of allowing secondary fermentation to take place in the bottle.

The beautifully shaped purple-hued bottle was created by Bravo Design as a prelude to the sweetness inside: “The colour purple is synonymous with luxury, confidence and elegance, and creates beautiful standout properties on shelf. It also offers something unique to the MCC category with its bold colour, and the design with the vertical lines is inspired by the top-tier Desiderius Pongrácz bottle design that has the vertical lines embedded into the glass.”

The bottle also illuminates when placed under UV light to create some dazzle in night clubs. @pongracz presents #ANewBold MCC Noble Nectar.

According to Jackie Olivier, Pongrácz marketing manager, there’s a growing demand for bubbly in general: “Medium-sweet MCCs are incredibly popular. These bubblies that are slightly sweet lend themselves to a wider audience and also more varied occasions. We wanted to add to the variety of MCCs available to consumers and extend the enjoyment occasions. French champagnes were originally much sweeter than is the case with the dry bruts of today. At the height of the 19th century, the French elite wanted a less-sweeter version that was available at the time and so the medium-sweet demi-sec was born.”

View some of our other new wine packaging designs for MCC’s here.

The KWV Laborie wine range, a well respected brand in the wine industry internationally has recently undergone a packaging revamp by Bravo Design. The design inspiration was drawn from the brand’s French heritage. The new packaging design sports an elegantly designed coat of arms inspired by French traditional crests.  The main label’s shape resembles the coat of arms to reiterate shape recognition. The label design is complimented with a classic and understated elegance and beautifully finished with French inspired embellishment details.

Also view the newly developed MCC brand for Laborie here.

Tangram Wine Packaging

Tangram Wine Packaging developed as the top tier wine range for Durbanville Hills is based on the concept of the chinese puzzle called a Tangram. A Tangram is a geometrical seven-piece puzzle which can be arranged to make various forms and pictures to tell a story. To master the Tangram, one has to look at the whole puzzle to understand and form the myriad of images to be shaped. In the end, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The various elements unique to the cellar, landscape and winemakers, have all woven together to craft this exclusive Bordeaux-style blend, called Tangram.

Client: Durbanville Hills