Piñata People

Agency: Cornershop Design
Creative Director: Damian Hamilton
Illustrator: Carmine Bellucci
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Samuel’s Gorge
Location: Adelaide, Australia
Packaging Contents: Wine
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Glass bottle, Paper
Printing Process: CMYK, High build screen varnish

Piñata People Gamay is a serious wine with a playful story. It is a new offering by premium McLaren Vale producer, Samuel’s Gorge. Winemakers, Justin McNamee and Riley Harrison, approached Cornershop with an exciting brief to create a label that “must exude fun, frivolity and the idea of celebration.” Specifically, Samuel’s Gorge were keen to develop a solution that combined art with graphic design and, ultimately, a label that “pops”.

Gamy is a grape variety that historically hails from the French province of Beaujolais. It typically comes in two distinct styles; Nouveau and Cru. The objective of the packaging design was to portray the more sophisticated Cru style, with frivolous and exotic excitement. Piñata People is for serious wine consumers, but those who are willing to experiment, try something new and embrace pleasure.

Why ’Piñata People’? The name is inspired by the excitement, fun and energy of the occasion that surrounds a bursting piñata. To bring the brand to life, Cornershop initially researched and presented a number of illustrative/graphic styles that communicated the right tone. Throughout the process, we came across an Italian illustrator/artist by the name of Carmine Bellucci. His imaginative, whimsical characters, abstract elements and use of vivid colours were perfectly suited to this project. We collaborated with Carmine on the character and image development and briefed him to create an illustration that depicted a celebration; a fun, exotic, colourful carnival and festive scene.

The final artwork features many playful characters and an array of colours inspired by the natural world and Spring. The wrap label takes viewers on an exotic journey; a considered connection to Samuel’s Gorge iconic panoramic labels. Details in the illustration are highlighted with a gloss high build varnish to add an element of discovery. The Piñata People typography is handcrafted from crêpe paper; the same material used to decorate piñatas.

Piñata People Gamay is available for A$30. Enjoy the celebration!