Created at Golden Bay Disterlly in New Zealand with a mission to deliver sophisticated sippers and savors, JiuJiu Vodka is known worldwide for individuals who enjoy a handcrafted cocktail. The award-winning spirit has even collected accolades for the elegant designs that grace their bottles.
Decked in gold botanicals and butterflies from top to bottom, with accents of blue and black for the logo and the neck, Colorado-based design agency, Moxie Sozo helped JiuJiu Vodka deliver luxury with every bottle. After all, they had to produce branding that could match the triple distilled, charcoal filtered, local spring water blended spirit that is topped off with a few specs of gold in each bottle.
To see how the designs came to life, we spoke with Moxie Sozo’s chief creative officer, Derek Springston.
What’s the story behind JiuJiu Vodka?
JiuJiu is “liquid luck.” In Mandarin, JiuJiu is a homophone for “a long-lasting, healthy, and prosperous life.” Having good juju means having good luck. The golden 8’s and 9’s floating in the bottle also symbolize luck in Chinese culture.
Walk us through the design process, how did you go from start to finish on this project?
The design process gave our teams the opportunity to explore New Zealand and Chinese culture. The team discovered each country’s rich history that could be woven together in evocative ways. As such, our team of designers created mood boards and then translated each into a wide array of visual concepts. These were presented and refined until the final direction emerged.
What is the significance of the butterflies scattered amongst the label and bottle?
The moth and ferns both speak to the brand’s New Zealand roots. The Emperor Moth on the bottle is the largest of New Zealand’s thousands of moth species. In the wild, the ferns depicted on the bottle have a reflective underbelly. They’re used by the Māori tribe to reflect the moonlight to illuminate their way home after a hunt.
Why does gold play such a prominent role in the color scheme?
Gold plays a prominent role on the label because people eat and drink with their eyes. The gold communicates a luxurious and rare beverage experience that should be coveted. The golden 8’s and 9’s floating in the bottle reinforce the brand’s story of luck.
How does Jiu Jiu create a soul connection with the consumer through the packaging?
JiuJiu offers those who drink it a sense of status. That’s a coveted emotional reward in the Chinese market, where the brand launched. The colors, textures, and details all work to cultivate luxurious premium cues.
