The wine is good and so is the wine label

Indian Springs Vineyards in Nevada City just won a prestigious award, Gold for their '04 Cabernet Franc (label shown here), at the 25th West Coast Wine Competition in Santa Rosa, Ca. The field was 1,800 entries from wineries located in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Baja California, British Columbia, Australia, New Zealand; and California. Here in our own county, Indian Springs tells us that only one other local winery won a couple awards and those in the bronze category only.

But this is a story about the label that is on the bottle, a sort of commercial design story. We'll let the artist, Jerianne Van Dijk, tell it in her own words:

"It's very cool to ask about commercial art because most people don't think about the art they buy every day on almost any food or drink.

"First, I would like to note a label often is what sells the product. Most people will tell you they look for a nice looking or beautiful label or something fun with a cutting edge look.

"When I had to come up with an idea for label art for Indian Springs, I had lots to consider, including respect for the Native American aspect of the name; thus, the feathers.

"Color is huge. You get a sweeping few seconds to get someone's attention on a shelf. It's always good to go with classy smart color combinations or extremes. I chose the rich new colors one because the label needed a big change from being cream paper. Wanting to emit 'wine as a rich experience,' I thought the deep plums and gold foil would start that experience on the shelf or table.

"The new look for Indian Springs is now the fully colored labels and the squared logo instead of the oval. The change was slight so as to retain the classic elements. The new look is all about where they want to go. To be radical and change everything would not be wise, so to make changes gradually we are able to make the image say more. The recent Hog Wild label I did for them was a big stretch beyond the typical classy look Indian Springs has always set as their standard. It's a humorous label, which causes some wine-snob buyers to think it couldn't possibly be a serious wine, until they taste it and hear that it won a Jerry Meade Silver award.

"The type can say everything, from classy upscale to crazy fun. The type for Indian Springs has stayed pretty consistent all 14 years, though there is a script they occasionally use for a lighter look. It's a very serifed classic looking type that KimArt and I put together with my illustration long ago. It was meant to look established, which is what people often want. It has been a good label for them, and I am proud of that.

"Mind you changing things every seven years is a rule of marketing, such as the decor in Denny's or Holiday Inn. This look is not locked into a seven year rule. In fact, it may change again in another year or so.

"You can see that a lot of things go into label art and type. It seems that if you don't strike a correct balance with type, size, colors, shape and art itself, it can come off sad and 'just OK.'

"I have created labels for products all over California, including salad dressings, beer and pasta sauces. It's one of my specialties. I love working with local customers, such as Bierwagen's Fruit Trail, Sierra Star Vineyards, Double Oak and, of course, Indian Springs Wines, for which I've done five labels so far."

Advice from Jerianne

"If you are a first-time product maker, don't wait to have your label designed when you have no budget for a good one. Many people come to me when it's the last thing they're thinking about. This is where a lot of products lose from the starting gate."