PANDEMONIUM

PANDEMONIUM: BUILDING A WORLD OF WONDERFUL CHAOS

THE BRIEF

DGB Wines asked Just Design to create a wine brand that would challenge the seriousness of the category and invite a younger, more adventurous audience in. Starting with four names—Wild Peacock, Dandelion, Flying Dog and Sleepy Bull—we set out to turn them into distinctive characters and bring them together in one memorable brand world.

THE CHALLENGE

Wine can feel intimidating to people who enjoy it but do not consider themselves experts. Pandemonium needed to feel playful and accessible without slipping into novelty. Every bottle had to hold its own, while the complete range needed to feel even more rewarding together.

THE INSPIRATION

“You’re invited to our secret soirée” became our way into the story. Inspired by Bellingham’s eccentric history, we imagined a hidden end-of-harvest celebration in the estate gardens. The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party meets The Great Gatsby: lush botanicals, deep jewel tones, gilded details and a wonderfully unconventional cast gathered around an overflowing table.

THE DESIGN SOLUTION

We created a premium, cohesive design system that gave each character room to shine. The elegant wordmark, cream varietal panel and teal closure unite the range, while individual colour palettes and narrative details give each wine its own personality.

Working closely with illustrator Carmen Ziervogel, we shaped every expression, costume, gesture and prop to capture the true spirit of Pandemonium.

Each label works as a standalone character portrait, but when the four bottles are brought together, the illustrations connect to form one continuous banquet scene. This strengthens the storytelling, creates a sense of discovery and makes the complete range naturally collectible.

THE RESULT

Pandemonium brings something genuinely unexpected to the South African wine shelf. In a market often shaped by restrained typography, familiar heritage cues and conventional estate storytelling, the range takes a refreshingly different approach—using cinematic illustration, eccentric characters and one continuous scene to turn four bottles into a collectible story.

The result is a brand with real stopping power: distinctive at a glance, richly rewarding up close and unlike anything else in the current market. It gives DGB an ownable platform that brings fresh energy to the category while retaining the craft, detail and premium cues expected of the wine itself.

Four characters. Four wines. One gloriously unruly collective.