BlindVine

Roles

Strategy | Product Packaging Design | Copywriter

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

Vectorized Die File Ready for Print Production

Context

BlindVine is a wine company that flips the script on traditional wine culture. Their product? A wine tasting game that takes the stuffiness out of sipping. As they put it: "A wine tasting game for people who roll their eyes at all the wine snobs. Each kit comes with five mystery bottles, a free app, and zero pressure to know how to pronounce 'sommelier’.”

BlindVine needed to crash the wine party—and fast. This wasn't your grandfather's vineyard with centuries to build heritage; this was a scrappy startup with a brilliant premise: make wine tasting fun for folks who think "sommelier" sounds like a fancy sneeze.

The challenge? Design packaging that could elbow its way onto crowded liquor store shelves, communicate a complex gamified experience, and do it all while making wine approachable for people who'd rather roll their eyes than roll around tasting notes. Oh, and we had exactly four days to go from concept to print-ready files. Because why make it easy?

The wine aisle is typically a parade of earth tones, family crests, and designs that whisper "you need a PhD to enjoy me." BlindVine needed to be the friendly neighbor who shows up with snacks and says "let's figure this out together."

ActionS

Research & Strategy

Thinking deeply about the intimidation of wine and board game packaging conventions, I realized how one could circumvent the other. This is the insight that shaped everything. People don't fear wine, they fear looking foolish about wine. This became our north star for every design decision.

Design Philosophy

I developed three distinct treatments outlined in my presentation deck, each testing different approaches to shelf presence.

Backslash: Bold teal slash wrapping the entire package, creating an unbreakable visual bridge between the existing bottle design and new packaging
Ring Around the Window: Clean, minimalist approach prioritizing copy real estate and construction simplicity
Tactile: Elevated version with debossed brand elements for premium feel urging the shopper to pick it up and explore

The Winning Formula

The Backslash treatment emerged victorious. That signature teal slash didn't just wrap around the box; it created a visual breadcrumb trail that practically begged shoppers to pick it up and explore.

Copy Strategy

Every word was crafted to remove intimidation barriers. Lines like "A wine tasting game for people who can't even pronounce 'sommelier'" served as the guiding principle when developing the copy. Sprinkling in hidden surprises like "A party without cake is just a meeting, but a party without wine is just sad" transformed routine unboxing into shareable moments worth posting about.

Technical Execution

Soft-touch matte coating gave it premium board game credibility, while strategic panel layouts balanced regulatory requirements (alcohol percentages, regional info) with user-friendly game instructions and app integration details.

Results

Market Impact

The packaging launched BlindVine into Colorado liquor stores with distribution deals that exceeded initial projections. More importantly, it solved the shelf visibility challenge with the bright white box and that teal slash becoming a beacon in the wine aisle's sea of sameness.

Client Relationship

BlindVine didn't just approve the design; they came back for more. The success of this packaging project led to ongoing partnerships for website redesign, brand evolution, and app interface development. When clients return for additional creative challenges, you know you've delivered something that works.

Design Recognition

The packaging successfully bridged the gap between approachable gaming and premium wine experience. (No small feat when you're trying to make both board game enthusiasts and wine curious consumers feel at home.)

Sometimes the best creative work happens when you're given impossible timelines and even more impossible challenges. BlindVine proved that great design isn't just about looking good—it's about making people feel good about themselves while they're using your product.