Sydney studio Boldinc has worked alongside the Beam Suntory innovation department to bring its new shochu highball range, Koyomi, to life. While Koyomi directly translates to 'calendar', the namesake relates to the flowing of time, the changing of seasons, moods and culture, evoked on pack with its design.
Shochu is a popular white spirit within the Japanese market, lower in alcohol than typical white spirits like vodka and gin, and gaining traction in places like New York and London as shochu bars begin to appear.
Boldinc group creative director Jon Clark said the Koyomi variants are inspired by seasonal changes and the ingredients chosen, as they relate to a different moment in time.
“The stories illustrated upon the cans themselves tell of flows of time, brought together by the element of the river. The river itself represents this overarching concept, changing as it flows graphically across the three can designs.”
Inspired by the yukiyo-e period in Japanese art, the heavily detailed Koyomi cans are a nod to the craft of this art period, but with modern twists. “Everything is considered with a Japanese sensibility,” says Clark. The designs are complemented with the use of Japanese text across all communications to build the brand's authenticity.
“It is a brand of discovery, the unexpected, of natural beauty and imagination. The illustrations bring to life multi-faceted stories, and reflect the essence of the flavours.
The Koyomi cans are printed with both opaque and transparent inks to “achieve different levels of reflectivity within the colour palette,” and allows for a subtle depth in the artwork, as well as colour intensity.
“As another discovery element, one of the printed colours has been treated with a textured ink,” says Clark.
“A rejection ink created a roughened feel in the hand. It is not noticeable to look at, but when you hold the can in your hand, you are drawn in again, wishing to discover what the texture is. Again, this layer of discovery builds on one of our brand values of unexpectedness.”
The Koyomi highball range is available in four-packs, wrapped in white, and printed on a Washi paper background with simple two-colour printing.
