Garden Queens

Garden Queens is a sparkling wine collection for women, available in three different varieties: Magnolia Brut, Jasmine Sec, and Dahlia Sweet. The project originated from a commission by CCL Label, a leading beverage packaging printer, with the goal of creating a printed sample as a gift for clients, designers, and students. The main challenge was to demonstrate the creative and technical potential of the aluminum can as a canvas, moving beyond its perception as a purely utilitarian container.

The cultural and consumption landscape in Chile positions Generation Z (ages 14–29) as a key audience. Research conducted by our team, following the can as a format that spans the entire beverage consumption landscape in Chile, became the foundation for this project. We explored everything from traditional, craft, and fruit-based beers to pisco, gin, and vodka Ready-to-Drink beverages, tonic waters, wines, Hard Seltzers, Spritzes, vermouths, and sangrias.

We also explored the explosive growth of non-alcoholic beverages, including Non-Alcoholic beers, mocktails, flavored waters, and teas. This research confirmed that, due to its convenience, portability, and portion control, the can is a preferred format among this generation, particularly for ready-to-drink products. It also demonstrated that a premium or craft product can be enjoyed in a can without compromising its perceived value. However, the local market still presents a gap in design proposals that fully take advantage of the technical possibilities of can printing. This is enabled by technological innovation that allows for digital printing combined with inline finishes such as screen printing, cold foil, and matte varnish, creating opportunities for surprise and sensory engagement.

The central concept of the project is the can as a miniature portable gallery—a space where art and design converge. Collage was chosen as the primary technique for its ability to combine diverse elements and construct complex visual narratives. The creation of the “Garden Queens” concept and naming, as well as the collage-based typographic logo, are our own creative work.

The collages were created by Eliza Cueto, who was invited to bring the three sparkling wine women to life: Magnolia Brut, Jasmine Sec, and Dahlia Sweet. Each character was given a distinctive heart that encapsulates her personality, incorporating symbolic elements such as jasmine, magnolias, dahlias, butterflies, fire, light, orbits, and diamonds.

The women’s defiant attitude on the labels, together with the specific role assigned to each product’s flower through their accessories or clothing, along with the collage interventions across their hair and eyewear, help establish the distinct feminine personalities of the collection.
The three backgrounds, each visually distinct, are unified through a flowing line texture that, when brought together, creates the sensation of rays of light. This is where the dimensional screen-printing comes into play, reinforcing the tactile quality of the packaging. The design strategy therefore focused on creating an element of visual and tactile surprise.

Garden Queens is a statement that the can is the format of the future, and a testament to how design innovation and technology can work together to create memorable brand experiences.