E&J Gallo Winery asked us to rebrand one of the growing brands of wine in their portfolio, Dark Horse, a modern expression of wine from California. Dark Horse is a brand known for delivering surprisingly exceptional wine at an affordable price. By focusing on perceptions of quality and taste, along with a bolder, more uplifting brand story in both packaging and communications, we set out to create a visual world and a 360 branding portfolio for Dark Horse as it boldly moves forward to reach new consumers.
Our approach was to elevate the brand’s quality & premium perception and consider the entire packaging portfolio. We developed a flexible design system that allows for future innovation to guide and inspire the whole brand look and feel, including the touchpoints of portfolio strategy, POS and collateral materials, retail inspiration, and brand content. We also wanted to increase competitiveness on the shelf among the varietal set by uplifting new branding and packaging. Our key challenge as a design agency was to amplify the brand’s desire through a bolder look and feel.
We redefined what is possible for the brand, starting with a new look and feel through the label design, elevating and refreshing the packaging to match the quality and taste that the brand is known for by its loyal consumers. The labels are printed on an elegant, premium paper stock in both metallic and matte finish, amplifying color, flavors, taste, the icon, and the celebrated Dark Horse’s savoir-faire. The Dark Horse icon has a front, center placement on the label, and the label’s navigation system is simple, allowing the consumer to see what waits inside the bottle.
