Joto is a range of artisanal Japanese sakes developed for the North American market. To Western consumers, traditional Japanese sake labelling is indecipherable and largely indistinguishable. Joto’s packaging opts for bold colour and infographics describing each sake’s brewing process and tasting notes. The logo developed for the company was inspired by the geometrical minimalism of Japanese design, but contains a visual delight for the sake aficionado. Sake is traditionally drunk from a snake’s eye cup—a white porcelain vessel with two blue rings printed on the inside that allows the drinker to judge the sake’s clarity and purity.

Esperanza is a new wine brand from Wirra Wirra, exploring Spanish grape varieties. The label takes its lead from Spanish bull fighting posters. The peace dove tied to each bottle reflects the Spanish meaning of the word Esperanza—hope.

Pb is the newest wine from Jim Barry Wines—a super premium Shiraz Cabernet blend from the Clare Valley. Managing Director, Peter Barry' s nickname is lead, as he shares his initials with the chemical symbol for the element. But what does Pb stand for? Is is Peter Barry or Peter's Blend? Personal Best or Perfectly Balanced? Plumbum or Pig's Bum? You make up your mind.

When briefed to develop a brand for Bleasdale’s icon tawny we named it “Fortis et Astutus”, the Potts’ family motto meaning “Bold and Crafty”. Bleasdale’s founder, Frank Potts, served under Nelson and had sailed the world by age 21. Thus the bottle was modelled on those used by the Royal Navy—short and squat, their low centre of gravity keeping them from toppling over in rough seas.

The Australian wine industry can rightfully trace its history by that of the Hardy Wine Company. Established in 1853, it is today one of the world’s most powerful wine brands. Through years of discounting, the brand found itself a low-cost proposition, and Parallax was commissioned to reposition Hardys as a premium wine brand, in line with a comprehensive portfolio overhaul.

Bleasdale is Australia’s second oldest family-run wine business. Its founder, Frank Potts, arrived in South Australia aboard the HMS Buffalo and proceeded to establish Langhorne Creek as one of Australia’s premier wine growing districts. The heritage range tells the stories of the five generations of the Potts family that have made Bleasdale what it is today.

Each year Bleasdale’s winemaker, Paul Hotker, reserves two of the best barrels of Malbec to create Double Take—the company’s icon Malbec. The label features two typographic barrels describing each wine’s characteristics.

In 1824, aged nine, Bleasdale founder Frank Potts joined the British Royal Navy as one of its dutiful powder monkeys. So named for their agility, speed & playfulness, these young boys relayed gunpowder between magazines and gun decks during battle. The Powder Monkey honours Frank and his journeys.

The brief was to develop a brand for a $15 bottle of wine, aimed squarely at the American market. At the time, Tom Adams and his brother Guy (the Brothers in Arms) were about to become fathers. Their offspring would be the sixth generation of the Adams family to live and work on the family property in Langhorne Creek. Our response was to name the wine No.6, and develop the packaging to reflect this farming family’s history.

Chapel Hill’s cellar door is situated in an historic chapel overlooking McLaren Vale. As part of a complete packaging overhaul, we introduced a more logical brand architecture, modernised the labels, brought the brand story to the fore, and introduced a new sub-brand called The Chosen. Each wine in The Chosen range is made from a block selected from the same single vineyard. The cut-outs in the labels correspond to the shape and location of each chosen block within the vineyard.

Scott Longbottom is an onion farmer and grape grower from Padthaway. Farmer's Leap was his first foray into winemaking, hence the name. Farmer's Leap is a reflection of Scott—uncomplicated, honest and straight-to-the-point.

Henry Hill once owned and drove the Adelaide-Melbourne mail coach. On property now under vine and owned by Henry’s Drive Vignerons, Henry used to stop and rest his horses. Henry’s Drive Vignerons was named in his honour, and postage has become the company’s central brand idea that has been explored across ranges and price points delivering, a broad and deep brand story.

Over a period of eight years, Parallax has been responsible for re-branding Jim Barry Wines in Clare. We have developed new brands such as Cover Drive and Silly Mid On, overhauled existing brands such as Lodge Hill and McRaeWood, and developed a new identity for the company. The brand strategy adopted for Jim Barry is to have each brand speak to its consumer and price point distinctively, with little regard for an overarching brand style. It questions the accepted thinking that consumers buy within an umbrella brand purchasing up and down, depending on occasion. It acknowledges that consumers buy different brands at different price points for different reasons—moving in and out of one brand with ease. A strategy that is certainly working for Jim Barry Wines.

The original Kangarilla Road labels, developed by Matthew Remphrey in 1997, were so simple we all wondered why nobody had done it before—display the leaf of the particular variety on the label. 13 years later we were asked to upgrade the labels without losing brand recognition. The result retains the stark minimalism of the originals, whilst increasing focus on the leaf images. Still unmistakably Kangarilla Road.

Vale Ale was developed to position the beer from one of Australian’s premier wine regions as a completely new, contemporary and different brand to the category norm. To quickly get noticed, Vale Ale had to claim its own brand space immediately. It is now joined by Vale Dry and Vale Drk, and McLaren Vale Beer Company is the fastest growing beer company in Australia.

Redbank’s home is the valleys of eastern Victoria and is known for producing elegant, cool climate wines. Emily is one of Australia’s most successful mid-priced sparkling wines. Our refreshment of the brand introduced it to a new consumer through the lucrative on-premise market, whilst retaining its brand heritage.

The Anvil is Redbank’s icon. A sophisticated, refined, hand-crafted wine—just like the label says.

Southpaw is a completely bio-dynamic vineyard, needing neither chemical pesticides nor man-made fertilisers. The owner’s approach to winemaking is non-interventional in style where the wine is a true reflection of site, terrior and vintage conditions. Nothing is added to the vineyard, or blended back into the resulting wine. The label expresses this approach, whereby it simply tells the story of the vineyard and resulting wine. Cartons continue the story and graphics at a scale to work in a crowded retail environment.

The left-handed idea (Southpaw is slang for a left handed person) is presented subtly—range left copy occupying the left-hand side of the label, and a left hand graphic for the logo. The logo is in fact a dingbat, again stressing the nature of the wine-making and viticultural philosophy—only using what was readily available rather than introducing new elements.

Tilly Devine is a McLaren Vale Shiraz named after the notorious Sydney madam and bootlegger of the 1920s. So successful was Tilly’s bootlegging operation that her name was adopted as rhyming slang for wine. The design solution came out of the fact that in her heyday, Tilly could be found either behind prison bars or cocktail bars.