VOLTA – The Shaping Collection

Creative Agency: VOLTA Brand Shaping Studio
Creative Director: Pedro Vareta
Project Manager: Lourenço Neves
Product Design & Rendering: Ricardo Ribeiro
Designers: Pedro Vareta, Rita Bastos, Pedro Lopes, Marta Carrazedo
Copywriter: Pedro Vareta
Project Type: Concept
Location: Porto, Portugal
Packaging Contents: Gin, wine, beer, water, whisky
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Glass, aluminum, metal, paper labels, wax
Printing Process: Screen printing, sleeve, embossed glass, embossed paper label, debossed leather

With the release of VOLTA’s newly designed brand identity and the creation of a new Product Design Department, the studio felt the need to create a visual interpretation of of the underlying concept behind their visual identity – Consequence. An interpretation that would explain the way they work, but also the feelings involved during the design process, from the briefing to the production phase.

They decided to do this through a bottle collection: THE SHAPING COLLECTION. It is a metaphorical and visual interpretation of every phase of VOLTA’s creative process (the Shaping process), where brands are shaped through careful study, strategy and experimentation. Each phase has an appropriate drink, indicated to achieve the wanted results at the right timing. Its name’s, design and shapes are branding processes in themselves, that work as a group but can be appreciated individually.

The 5 phases of VOLTA’s shaping process are:

1. Briefing / BANG Gin – Where it all starts: a moment of anxiety and anticipation.
2. Strategy / TACTIC Red Wine – This is a time of intensive research and planning, where everything is taken in consideration to design the brand strategy and prepare the creative concept.
3. Design / FIGHT Stout Beer – The visual Design stage, where every idea is valid and rules are broken and rewritten. An intensive, stressful and truly rewarding phase of the process, where you see ideas coming to life.
4. Presentation / STRIP Mineral Water – The moment of revelation, when the idea is presented, stripped of the accessory and shows its bold creative substance.
5. Production / The CONSEQUENCE Whisky – Tested and approved, it is time for the idea to leave the studio and show its strength “out there”.

With this collection, VOLTA were able to show new approaches of product and brand design, while creating a cohesive yet varied branding and packaging design exercise. The usual visual codes of the different types of drink were all taken in consideration, and afterwards comprehensively questioned and rewritten.