In this project, I was tasked to theoretically experiment a South African craft gin identity. The project is for educational purposes and only experimental/hypothetical. I choose L-Gin as my experimental brand identity. I wanted to design a pattern or floral effect to my gin re-brand identity. The requirements is to design using traditional printing techniques, the other is entirely digital, and the final is mixed media. Each design must include a print set-up and a physical prototype which I will photograph. 

About L-Gin​​​​​​​

L-Gin handcrafted gin started in July 2018 by three good friends who live in Elgin and love gin. They were inspired by the sumptuous fruit growing in the Elgin valley and the abundance of oak trees that line many farm roads. The range of fruits includes L-Gin Lush, a crisp, refreshing summer gin using local juniper, Granny Smith apples and lemons which is the green design, as well as L-Gin plush includes coriander, ginger and angelica which is the orange design. L-Gin Crush is created when locally grown juniper meets locally grown blueberry, lemon and indigenous salvia in the distillation process which is the blue design. 

Traditional Print Process work​​​​​​​

For my traditional label design, I first collected all the plants or florals I needed to get that print effect. I then rolled out my clay, press my plants on the clay, and roll it out again then remove the pants and lastly paint the clay with ink and stamp a clean white paper on the clay. 

For my type print, I created my own letter press. I first printed the letters, cut them up and stick them on a cardboard then cut them up again and paint them with lots of ink and stamp them down on a clean white paper. This process took a few shots to get the perfect stamp.

Traditional print Design​​​​​​​

The L-Gin currently has three flavors in three colours, orange, green and blue. Each colour has the same layout design for all the traditional, digital and mixed media experiments. For the traditional press print , I choose a print that looked like a splash of drink but at the same time with the plant pattern inside the splash. 

For the traditional type press design, I used the laser tool in illustrator to cut each latter individually from the scanned document then group them together. I then added a strip at the bottom of the layout as a placement for the name of the flavor.

Mixed Media Print Design​​​​​​​

For the Mixed Media design I used the pen tool to draw in between the negative spaces of the tradition print press. I then took that drawing and duplicated it to make a vector flower and then took that flower and try to put it as close to the negative space as I have found it before.

Since both Traditional and mixed media designs are visually busy I had decided to make the digital print as simply and clean as possible. I took the flowers i explored and place them on a light grey background. I then played around by rotating strip name and found vertical to be suitable. I decided to make the flavour names in a white colour as the L-Gin name, although it could be cool to the change the flavour names in their own colours but it would be too outstanding.