Carhartt Wines
Services: Branding, Packaging Design, Production Supervision (Case Study PDF)

Established in the early years of last century, Rancho Santa Ynez is a Santa Ynez Valley landmark spread among the old Valley oaks. The 3rd generation owners felt the time had come to step up from the old label which marked their premium wines.

The world is full of “pretty,” or vanity labels, few of which can stand up to the challenges of standing out from a wall of wine in a retail environment.

The team at Mark Oliver, Inc. considered telling the story of the Rancho because it was distinctive. But where were the visual story-telling elements that would allow us to brand the wines individually and as group and appeal to consumers?

We found the answer on a blustery day by looking up. We heard noises coming from the rooftops of various barns and outbuildings. And there was the answer: a vast array of shapes and sizes of distinctive animal weathervanes turning to face the wind. The rest was a breeze.