Branding and packaging for spirits brands: Spirits worth picking up.
Beyond is a creative agency in Southampton that designs spirits brands: characters, labels, boxes and the animation and websites around them. We made the six-spirit range for Incognito Spirit Company and the brand and bottle for Moosh Vodka.
Incognito Spirit Company
Incognito's bars are a speakeasy with a twist of Victoriana and Alice in Wonderland. The spirits had to be just as out there.
We've made Incognito's brand since its bars opened: the illustration, the menus, the website and the emails. So when Incognito launched a range of spirits, distilled locally, it came back to us for the boxes and labels.
There are six: Spiced Rum, Golden Rum, Vodka, Vanilla Vodka, Dry Gin and Pink Gin. Each got a persona and an illustrated world of its own, led by a roaring new take on the bars' feline host, Chadwick Smithfield. We artworked and test-printed every box and label so each one printed, fitted and finished properly, then gave every spirit a micro animation for the screen.
“They took something so hard to convey, and made it look effortless.”
Dry Gin
Pink Gin
Vodka
Vanilla Vodka
Golden Rum
Spiced Rum
Moosh Vodka
A well-known name with a big following, launching into one of the most crowded shelves in the shop.
Moosh Vodka was launched by a prominent UK personality whose following comes from the betting world. The brand had to win over those followers and premium vodka drinkers who'd never heard of Moosh, on a shelf the big names already own.
We designed a label and a look that sit between luxury and fun, with nods to Moosh's betting heritage for the followers and the premium cues the category expects. Then we carried it from the bottle to social media.
Incognito Bars
Where the spirits came from: cocktail bars where every drink is a show, from bubbling bathtubs to diving helmets full of fog.
Incognito's flagship is in Winchester, with a handful of bars now open alongside it. We've drawn its world since launch, a Victoriana gone wild, hosted by Chadwick Smithfield, across the menus guests pick up at the bar, the beer packaging and the website.
The website plays video, animation and fine-art illustration without slowing down, and shows guests' own posts live, so the bar's theatre carries on online.
Why spirit brands work with us
The people who draw the characters are the ones who artwork the labels, animate them and build the website.
- 01
The illustrators artwork the labels
The people who draw your characters also prepare the boxes and labels for print and animate them for the screen. Nothing is redrawn or handed over on the way.
Incognito: six spirits, from first sketch to printed box, in one studio.
- 02
Brands come back with their bottles
Incognito came to us for its bars and came back for its spirits. Nobody had to explain the brand twice, so the range started from what already worked.
Incognito: brand since its bars opened, then the spirits range.
- 03
Made for the shelf and the feed
A bottle now lives on a shelf, in a gift box, on a phone and in an advert. We design for all of them from the start, not the label first and the rest later.
Moosh Vodka: label, packaging and social artwork as one system.
Five things a spirits brand should get right
Worth knowing whoever you hire. Most come from work we've made for these brands.
- 01
Give every spirit a character
In a range, each bottle should be recognisably the same family and still be worth picking up on its own. A character for each, from one world, does both.
Incognito Spirit CompanyEach Incognito spirit has its own persona and setting, all hosted by the same feline character.
- 02
Bring the audience you already have
A bar, a venue or a well-known name already has people who love it. Design the bottle so they recognise it at once, then make sure it still reads as premium to everyone else.
Moosh VodkaMoosh's label nods to its betting heritage for followers, with the cues vodka drinkers expect.
- 03
Test the print before the print run
Foils, varnishes, windows and gift boxes all behave differently from the screen. Artwork every box and label for the printer, and check proofs before anything is run.
Incognito Spirit CompanyWe artworked and tested every Incognito box and label for print quality, fit and finish.
- 04
Design for the screen as well as the shelf
Many people meet a new spirit on a phone before they see it on a shelf. Give each bottle something that moves, and artwork shaped for social, from the start.
Incognito Spirit CompanyEvery Incognito spirit has its own micro animation.
- 05
Lay out the legal wording with the artwork
Strength, volume and the other mandatory wording have rules on where and how they appear, and they differ by market. Put them in the first layout, not the last, and have your distiller confirm them.
From the first call to the first bottle on the shelf
Five steps, with dates in the proposal. You deal with the same people throughout.
- 01
A free first call
You talk to the people who'd do the work. We reply to every enquiry within one working day.
- 02
A written proposal
Usually within a week of the call: the work, who does it, the dates and the cost.
- 03
Characters and labels
We draw the range's world and a character for each spirit, and you approve them before any artwork is prepared.
- 04
Print and packaging
Labels, boxes and gift packs are artworked for your printer and checked on proofs before the run.
- 05
Launch and after
Animation, social artwork and the website, made by the same studio, so the bottle looks the same everywhere.
Food and drink
The services behind it
Spirits branding, answered
Which agency designs branding and packaging for spirits brands?
Beyond, a creative agency in Southampton, designs spirits brands: characters, labels, boxes, animation and websites. We made the six-spirit range for Incognito Spirit Company and the brand and bottle for Moosh Vodka.
Who designed the Incognito Spirit Company bottles?
Beyond, the studio that has made Incognito's brand since its bars opened. We drew a character for each of the six spirits, designed and artworked the labels and boxes, and animated each one. The range won Gold at the Global Vodka Masters in 2023. See the case study.
How do you design a range of spirits so the bottles belong together?
Decide what stays the same on every bottle before the first is finished: the mark, the type, the layout, a shared world. Then give each spirit its own character inside it. Incognito's six spirits each have their own persona and setting, all hosted by the same character.
Can you design a spirit for an existing bar, venue or personality?
Yes, and it's most of our spirits work. Incognito's spirits came from its cocktail bars, and Moosh Vodka from a well-known UK name with a big following. The job is to make the bottle feel like the brand people already love, and still read as a premium spirit to people who don't know it.
Do you prepare spirits labels and boxes for print?
Yes. We artwork every label and box for your printer, including finishes like foils and windows, and check proofs before the run. For Incognito we tested every box and label for print quality, fit and finish.
What has to go on a spirits label?
Alcohol strength, volume and other mandatory wording, with rules on where and how they appear that differ by market. We lay them out with the artwork from the first draft, and you or your distiller confirm them against the rules for each country you sell in.
How much does spirits branding and packaging cost?
Every project is priced individually, usually within a week of a free call, in a written proposal that sets out the work, who does it, the dates and the cost. A brand, a range of labels, boxes and animation are priced as separate pieces, so you can start with one.
Your spirit
Tell us about your spirit.
A new spirit, a range, labels and boxes, or just a second opinion on what you have. Tell us roughly what you're thinking; we'll reply within one working day and set up a free call with the people who'd do the work.
What happens next
- 1You'll hear back from us within one working day.
- 2We'll set up a free, no-obligation call with the people who'd actually do the work. Everything is made in-house.
- 3You get a clear proposal with scope, timeline and cost, usually within a week of our call.
“They took something so hard to convey, and made it look effortless.”
