Quinta do Vale da Rosa – Gourmet (Student Project)

Derrick Lin

Global

Designer: Joana Luís
Project Type: Student Project
School: Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave
Course: Graphic Design
Location: Portugal
Packaging Contents: Figs in Syrup; Drunken Pears; Peach Halves
Packaging Materials: Glass, Metal, Paper, Wood, Vinyl.

We were requested, based on an existing beverage or food brand, to create a special product line (gourmet, premium, celebratory) with three varieties. Having in mind what was requested I’ve started with a trip to a department store to analyse the current showcasings and packagings, I’ve ended up choosing to rework the Quinta do Vale da Rosa’s product line, more specifically the Peach Halves, the Drunken Pears and the Figs in Syrup.

After selecting and researching the brand and respective product line, I’ve discovered that Quinta do Vale da Rosa (Rose Valley Farm, It sounds so cheesy in English!) is a brand from Alcobaça (a city from the west region of Portugal) and it’s very much connected with the region’s cultural and historical values, that ends up displaying in their products. Their packaging is made by hand, and the company’s mission is to elevate their brand to a level of excellence, always promoting the products from the west region of Portugal. With a more detailed study about Alcobaça, I’ve determined that the packaging would be conceptualized based on Alcobaça’s Monastery (The church and monastery were the first Gothic buildings in Portugal, It’s also a World Heritage by UNESCO) and their famous Alcobaça chintz (Portuguese traditional decoration fabrics, presently they are part of the Portuguese popular culture).

To begin the construction process for this packaging, I’ve started with a research on glass jars. I wanted the conceptual basis to match one of the ideals of the company, that being a gourmet product that effectively combines tradition with innovation. To the jar itself, I’ve decided to innovate in its shape, making it more vertical and modern, to complement that I’ve made use of a more traditional lid.

Since the jar itself is very vertical, I’ve decided to highlight that verticality with a slender label. I’ve made use of a calligraphic typeface to represent the idea of handcraft and tradition and completed the label with two floral stripes inspired on the Alcobaça chintz. The label colours were inspired by the Alcobaça chintz itself, which resulted in a bright colour pallet. The jar is then sealed with a stripe, to do such I’ve created three icons, one for each product, these icons where conceptualized with the architectonic lines of the Alcobaça’s Monastery in mind. This stripe associates the two themes I’ve previously stipulated, the Alcobaça’s Monastery and the Alcobaça chintz. I’ve also created a small booklet to go alongside the jar, this booklet contains information and photos from the Alcobaças’s Monastery, to give the user a little taste of the product’s region.

Having in mind that this is a gourmet line, I had the idea of creating a bundle where all three jars could be protected and bought together. The bundle features three tapas recipes with the ingredients of the jars, thus motivating its purchase.