A Fresh New Look

Kim, I LOVE the new label! It's not that I didn't like the old ones, but they did look a bit dated somehow--can't quite describe it. But the boat and the script style absolutely still say Dry Creek to me. Nice.

The new label has the vintage way too small (and too light); you'll not be able to read this in a restaurant that isn't well lit. A serious design flaw.

(I also think pairing the text "Dry Creek" with an image of a sailboat on the sea for a wine bottle is Not The Best Choice.)

First - about the sailboats. Other products could be spunoff with a rowboat, canoe, cruise ship, tug, etc. as fitting for the specific wine.

Do you plan to push the vintage year or to blend for continuing top quality? This may influence how prominent the year is displayed. (I concur with the importance of testing the readability of the label in a darkened restaurant, although some are so bad I carry a small flashlight to read the menu and check the wine.)

Haiku for you: The wine inside is/ the delight for your taste buds./Drink responsibly!

Great comments everyone! I'll definitely take this design into a dimly lit restaurant. Keep in mind, this is not a printed label, merely a comp of the final design so the type will be much more ledgable after it's printed.

I think the thread commenter's idea of the boat series insightful in a funny way. Having enjoyed a few hours on a few boats of design both old and new, I conceptualized what I would do to stylize and modernize the DCV cab label based on Wilma's excellent art in the post. Then I returned the next day to review Wilma's work again, with a fresh understanding of the effort that inspires label remake. I like the idea of preserving in a simple central top portion of the new label the old romantic sea sailing design. I note the spinnaker is unfurled. But the new look has the flavor of some of the regal presentations of the chateaux which occupy lands granted for viticulture to owners centuries back. It seems a good, appropriate launch for the stately DCV flagship cab.

During this journey I spent a while on some maritime museum sites as well as those of some current regatta sponsor ports, some of which are enlivening.

I think there is room to expand the theme, and Wilma, and Dave before, have provided interesting direction in the artwork's morphing. Good job.