White Squirrel Winery is a small, family-run vineyard located in the rolling hills of northwest Tennessee. Being a small run operation, their initial logo and wine labels were created by the owner’s son. As the business grew and customer base expanded, they recognized a growing need to refine and modernize their existing branding.

The location of the vineyard is home to the largest population of albino squirrels in the nation (hence the name) and as a result the owner wanted to keep the existing name and motif of a white squirrel on the labels. The overall design direction was to take the existing branding and labels from quirky and playful to a more refined and vintage-style execution. We updated the handwritten logo to a typeface and lockup that communicates a more polished and established feel.

The owner commissioned an illustrator to develop 3 different squirrel illustrations that would be used on the new label system. Each illustration would represent a classification of wine; still, carbonated, and specialty. The wine varietals are also delineated by color to help establish differentiation. The back of the labels are consistently laid out, with a nice screened back illustration of the vineyard. The style of illustration was very important – the pencil-sketched rendering further helps communicate that vintage feeling.