We know, we know. The Thanksgiving turkeys haven’t even given way to Hallowe’en’s ghosts and goblins yet but already it’s time for holiday talk. The end of the year is as busy in the labelling world as everywhere else, so now is the time to plan your exceptional seasonal labels and packaging and get them into production. Don’t hesitate or yule miss out!
In this article, we revisit some of our favourites from Christmasses–and Hanukkahs and Kwanzas–past for inspiration.
Cool collaborations
When Dairy Distillery opened up in the small town of Almonte in 2018, their energy was focused on transforming their space into a micro-distillery and launching their flagship products, Vodkow and Vodkow Cream. What the founders may not have expected was just how warmly the community would welcome their business.
To show their appreciation over the holiday season in 2020, Dairy Distillery imagined the Almonte Friendship Series, a collection of four 250 millilitre bottles of Vodkow Cream Liquor, each featuring a product from a local business.
The result of this partnership between Dairy and Equator Coffee Roasters, Hummingbird Chocolate, and Fulton’s Maple Syrup is as delicious as it is heart-warming.
Image from Dairy Distillery
Wanting to retain the classic milk bottle look while highlighting a sense of the season, Lorpon Labels matched the bold red, light brown and dark brown with HP Indigo expanded gamut colours to distinguish between flavours. For the signature cream flavour, a black wine label paper was used. Critical when using coloured papers is achieving a bold bright white ink to ensure legibility… Lorpon has several tricks in the stocking to make sure these look good enough to leave out for Santa.
Get festive with it
Ontarian brewery Royal City has made a tradition of producing Niklaas, a Belgian Christmas Ale, for the holidays. Each year there’s some variation in the brew and the 2020 release featured rich honey and biscuit notes along with complex spiciness. Royal City designed the beer for pairing, and Lorpon Labels produced the label to #owntheshelf.
Image from Royal City Brewing
During the last few months of the year, you can find Santa’s likeness on everything from pyjamas to pie plates so finding ways to stand out can be a real challenge. For Royal City’s Niklaas, it was important that the label design echoed the strength and class of the product so Lorpon used a deep red label with bold metallic lines and made the bright white snowflakes. They finished it off with a matte lamination.
Seasonal swag
Lailey Winery from Niagara-on-the-Lake came up with an entirely new way to celebrate the season. In addition to wine, they made available handmade scented candles packaged in their signature wine bottle, cut to size.
Image from Lailey Winery
The labels are printed on wine stock while accents in gold foil add a festive glimmer to the product. Perfect for stocking stuffers or as a token of appreciation.
The gift that keeps on giving
If you’re looking for a way to stand out from the crowd, you might consider an advent calendar. Fun, flashy, and easily adaptable to a wide range of products, advent calendars keep you and your product top-of-mind for days.
Image from The Dieline
You might not think an advent calendar would work for beverages, particularly if you want to gift full-sized containers, but the Hoppy Hanukkah Craft Beer Box from City Brew Tours includes a different can for each of the eight days of Hanukkah. From the case to the individual labels, this package is festive and eye-catching.
Image from The Dieline
One of the best things about an advent calendar is the anticipation of opening each little door to see what’s behind it. Bonne Maman takes this very traditional design and uses it to showcase their tiny pots of individually labelled jams. The result is nostalgic and cozy–and delicious.