Designing For A By-The-Glass Seltzer
“Not another seltzer” is the theme of Public Address’ recent design work for Cliché, a new seltzer brand from winemakers Dave Phinney and Joe Wagner. With Cliché, they experimented with over 100 blends before finding their right a combination of wine, bubbles, and natural flavors. Creating a seltzer that felt fit to be included on a restaurant’s by-the-glass list – their ultimate goal – required a brand identity that went against category trends.
Rather than defaulting to the category mainstream of light, bright, care-free packaging, the Public Address team worked closely with the clients to develop a brand design system inspired as much by the scrappy skate and surf magazines the pair grew up reading, as the contemporary art galleries they love. The cans purposefully lack the rainbow of colors typically seen in the seltzer section in order to underscore that Cliché is not just another seltzer.
The stark black and white color palette frames the crisp fruit photography and bold red lips. As for the name, it is said to be a comment on the wildly growing category as well as a challenge to themselves to make sure they were adding something new.
To launch the brand, PA developed a campaign featuring a crushed can, creating sculptural silhouettes against the white backdrop. Alongside the campaign, Public Address also developed a brand video featuring the makers, a website, and a social media and influencer package.
