Part of packaging is knowing how to create and apply labels to containers that will stand out in retail stores. Most major US retail stores have approximately 30,000 products and up. Furthermore, each of these products competes for the customer's attention. So it is not enough to simply have a great product. Each bottle must grab the shopper's attention and communicate quickly to them. Aaron used Adobe Illustrator and an Esko plugin to create the bottles to generate a decanter-shaped bottle and a water bottle. He started by first outlining half the bottle with the pen tool. Then he used Eskoto to rotate it and make a template for the labels. With his temples ready, Aaron designed unique labels for each using color, layout, typeface, and hierarchy. The outcome is one bottle of Merlot wine and a water bottle.
A standard method of packaging bottles together in a multi-pack is shrink-sleeves. Typically it is used for soda and water bottles. Aaron created two bottles using Adobe Illustrator and Esko to demonstrate how shrink sleeves work. For each product, he used existing graphics and typography to stay within the product's branding style. One of the troubles with shrink sleeves is the warping of the graphics. In non-critical areas, it is possible to get away with more distortion, but when text, barcodes, and detailed regions like faces warping is very undesirable. To complete this project, Aaron ensured that all the typefaces were well placed and that the barcode was on the bottom of the package.
