Ünnepel Pálinka
This is a packaging project in which I was instructed to create packaging for a beverage based on the culture of a country other than the United States. For my project, I chose Hungary as the country and made packaging for a traditional Hungarian spirit called Pálinka.
Process
I started by gathering images from Hungarian folk art, architecture, textiles, and currency as a base for the visual language of Hungary. I also did lots of research on cultural mannerisms, language, history, and folklore so I could get a better understanding of what certain symbols mean and how these visuals have evolved over time.
After that I created a brief for the client to better understand the vision for and audience of the brand Ünnepel that would inform the final design.
Once I finished the brief, I moved on to sketching ideas out based on my research.
From there I narrowed down my ideas based off peer, faculty, and personal review to create more refined sketches.
This was the initial design I created based off my first round of research and exploration. While I felt good about it initially, I eventually became unsatisfied with the final product's lack of form factor as well as the over emphasis on the fruit making it seem more like a flavored water than a liquor.
Circling back to research
Most of my work this time around focused on creating a stand out form factor and striking a good middle ground between having a fun celebratory spirit while still looking refined and crafted with care.
Form factor
I was specifically interested in the organic and decorative nature of Hungarian art and architecture while designing Ünnepel's label. The shape of the label specifically references the unique structures present in Hungarian buildings.
For the second round of designs I took inspiration from the Royal Postal Savings Bank in Budapest for the shape of the label. While this was a good exploration, the form wasn't recognizable enough to make sense to a broader audience, and thus, I went back to exploring form and composition.
Final Design
The final design incorporates the essence of the ornate architecture and design found in Hungary through the label shape and shwash motif found on both the front and back.
For the back label it was important to create the right brand voice. A little bit of humor and fun is evoked by the word "Egs" initially reading as "eggs" for english speaking audiences. This draws in a curious audience who then is quickly educated that "Egs" is a shortened version of the long "Egészségedre!"
