Case Study

The Jewel of The Okanagan’s Naramata Bench

Intent

I partnered with Hillside Winery for 9 years. When they approached me they were looking for a complete rebrand from the ground up. They wanted the new brand to reflect the rustic nature of the Naramata-based winery.

Solution

I knew the iconic tower on the Hillside property would play a large role in the visual identity. The client also wanted to capture the rustic aspect featured in the winery’s interiors.

To this end, an organic, hand-drawn logo was produced. I paired that with a colour palette and visual treatments that replicate the plaster and exposed wood wall treatments seen in the interior of the winery, tasting rooms, and restaurant.

Result

Hillside Winery didn’t need my help to sell their wonderful wines. What they were most pleased with was that every aspect of their business had a visual consistency that reflected the physical property and the quality of their offerings.

Logos

The logo simply had to feature the iconic Hillside Winery tower. I wanted it to have a distinctly hand-drawn look. The typeface needed to be simple, so American Typewriter was chosen and became the brand’s primary typeface.

Digital

During the course of a 17-year relationship with Pace, I designed and built all four of their websites for their Canadian market. The current Pace Solutions website was built to stand out in their industry by presenting visitors with stunning design and comprehensive information, with a consistent brand journey and easily navigable user flow. From the curated dropdown menus to mini case studies for every service and product, each element is unique and deliberate; aimed at enhancing customer discovery and encouraging contact.

The SEO efforts allowed Pace to analyze how its users interacted with their websites, then tailor their marketing efforts based on this data. Ongoing site optimization efforts ensured the code behind the website was always healthy and up to date.

Additional digital work included social media branding packages and post templates, and various landing pages.

Wine Bottle Labels

The wine bottle labels were the staple print pieces for the Hillside Winery brand. Pictured are the 2014 Muscat Ottonel and the 2013 Merlot Malbec labels before the descriptors were written by the winemaker. The Muscat features the copper metallic the client decided would best suit this limited run.

A label had to be produced for each of their ~40 varietals each year.

Print & Point of Sale Marketing

Hillside was often advertising in several industry specific publications. These ads were featured in magazines such as Vault and Culinaire, and weekly publications like the Georgia Strait. Ads also appeared for special events like Eat, and in guides like Wine Access and the Okanagan’s Wine Tour Handbook.

Additionally assets for retail point of sale were required. I provided rack cards, neck tags, and shelf talker pieces to satisfy this requirement.

Bistro Menus

The Hillside Bistro is one of the finest dining experiences on the Okanagan’s Naramata Bench. To support the ever-changing selection of seasonal fine food and vintage wine choices, menus were required and constantly being updated. This included lunch and dinner menus, special event-based prix fixe menus, and of course wine lists.

Media Kit

The launch of the Hillside rebrand was something else. Held at the Pan Pacific Hotel in Downtown Vancouver, it was full of local media from the Lower Mainland and the Okanagan. To woo various outlets, a media kit was produced. It came in a wooden box with the Hillside logo carved into it. Inside was a bottle of red and white wine, food items, whisky rocks, handmade soap, a game of Pick Up Sticks, and a branded cork USB drive. I designed the tags for each gift. I also enjoyed playing with the typography on the box cover and the custom band in which each of the bottles was wrapped.

I only wish I’d been able to get a better picture of it.

Self-Guided Tour Poster Series

Guests are invited to wander around certain areas of the winery without a tour guide. So that they make the most of their exploration, a series of self-guided tour posters was produced. Each one tells a different story about the iconic Hillside tower, the history of the winery, the Hillside philosophy, the property on which Hillside sits, different grapevines, how they make their red and white wines, and their famous Bistro.