I’ve recently been receiving some wonderful feedback from designers with whom I’ve worked over many years, so I thought I’d share a few. Here’s one from Tony Auston, founder and creative director of Auston Design Group in Oakland, CA. Auston has designed labels and packaging for some of the region’s leading wine and spirits brands, including Dry Creek Vineyard, Gnarly Head, and Bogle Vineyards, among others.  He has worked with me for over 25 years and it has always been a pleasure to work with him. He is exceptional at creative design and respects the input of the bottle maker, which is crucial to get a project moving forward and across the finish line. Here’s Tony in his own words:

            “Erica and I met in the early 1990s while I was working on the brand development and package design program for the former Carneros Alambic Distillery. She was the Brandy Maker at that time. Soon after that she made the decision to quit the production side and move to the supply side of the wine and spirits industry, starting in sales at Saver Glass. Many years later she founded Global Package.

            Erica and her team have been a valuable resource to me. As a designer, I have to consider all options available to me, so I rarely work with just one glass supplier. While I sometimes may not use her glass that doesn’t mean we aren’t working together on a project. Her vast knowledge of the ins and outs of the industry is of great value to our process.

            We have spent the last few years working together to develop our proprietary custom bottle design for a new high-end vodka brand. Throughout the project, there were plenty of hurtles to clear in the engineering and production process. Erica and her team’s ability to guide us through those challenges was essential to getting a final package design that we and the client are very proud of.”

 At Global Package we love working with designers who are creatively inspired, yet clear-eyed about production practicalities, and Tony is a perfect example. He is an exceptional designer and at the same time understands technical production aspects. During our most recent project together—a spirits bottle— we incorporated many elements of decoration and shape to achieve a stunningly unique package, which we’ll be able to feature when the brand launches at the end of the year!

Other similarly creative projects for the wine industry have employed many of the new glass developments Global Package has brought to the US, such as Estal’s Wild Glass ™, and the innovative Sommelier™ ring style bottle. The new Limerick Lane custom bottle is just one recent example of the sommelier ring.  We are proud of our work with outstanding designers like Tony Auston and enjoy the collaboration which brings real innovation to the wine and spirits industries!

Global Package (www.globalpackage.net) is located in Napa Valley and has an experienced team to provide the best bottles sourced from worldwide factories. It also provides custom shippers, glass decoration, pewter labels, and closures for the wine industry. When it comes to providing custom and specialty bottles and packaging, the firm leads the way in finding solutions to provide a comprehensive and attractive outcome that sets a brand apart. Contact: 2793 Napa Valley Corporate Drive, Napa, CA 94558, and 707-224-5670.