SVEDKA is a major vodka importer into the U.S. and a staple in the vodka aisle. Recently the brand decided to extend into the Ready-To-Drink space with a premium sparkling spiked seltzer. SVEDKA realized that many spiked seltzer fans were also vodka connoisseurs who enjoyed cocktails. With that parallel drawn, the company approached BRIGADE to help them navigate how to bring premium, cocktail-inspired spiked seltzers to consumers. “The challenge we faced,” says BRIGADE Executive Creative Director Kirsten Modestow, “was how do you create packaging that leverages the brand equity of the SVEDKA bottle and brand to convert current spiked seltzer fans and attract new vodka and cocktail lovers to the RTD space? Essentially, how do you help SVEDKA go handheld?”
To attract seltzer loyalists as well as cocktail drinkers, the Hadley MA-based design firm developed slim cans, bold graphics, and clean typography to create vibrant cans for shelf impact. The bold horizontal band that’s iconic to all of its bottles is turned onto its side for an energetic and playful presence. Explains Modestow: “Taking the band vertical makes the branding larger than what you see on typical aluminum cans, and cutting into the edge of the ’S’ gives the impression that the brand is an even bigger than the can itself. Needless to say, when you hold one of these in your hand, you know you’re holding something premium and bold.” To keep things fresh, the designers created asymmetry by stacking the flavor descriptors to the right of the branding, and contrasted thick san-serifs with more elegant scripts to give everything a contemporary and premium vibe.
