Foundation Cellars

This project was an exercise in storytelling through photography and design. It began with a meeting in early 2018 with the winemaker. He wanted to create a wine brand that answers a simple question: How does a grape go from the vine to a bottle of wine? The concepts he brought to the table were well thought out. The first wines in the portfolio were almost ready to sell. Our client was open to ideas and put his trust in the Bloom creative team. We had everything we needed to get started.  

an animated gif of candles flickering around a still image of wine Foundation Cellars' MMXV Cabernet  wine being poured at night on a picnic table.

CINEMAGRAPH

There is a distinct story behind each wine, yet they can be intertwined into a rich narrative. On the home page, the hero image comes to life through the use of cinemagraph photography. Flickering candles, reflections on the wine bottles, and subtle objects add texture and enhance the feel of that moment in time.

A mobile and a desktop devices side by side with Foundation Cellars ecommerce shop page screenshots showcasing responsive website design

WEBSITE

The brand was new so we kept our goals simple: introduce the wines and drive visitors to purchase or create a membership. More images, less text. That was our guiding design principle. The home page introduces the brand with a simple statement "Capture the moment," then leads the visitor to a simple matrix of wines to select from. The information is deliberately simple: wine name, vintage and price. Clicking a wine leads to the wine's detail page where customers can add the wine to their cart for easy purchase. 

Four photos of Foundation Cellars wine bottles by Bloom Studio

BOTTLE PHOTOGRAPHY

One of the first steps in our creative process was to build a repository of photographs, which always drive the design direction of a project. The brand has a dark and mysterious tone. Bottles were shot on dark, slightly textured backgrounds so the eye would focus on the high-contrast labels. Slim, soft-box lighting was used to brighten the side of the bottle for dimension and extra contrast. 

Three examples of wine tech sheets we designed for digital PDF and print. Each one has a dark bottle image on the left, easy to read text on the right describing the wine. Showcasing brand development, print design and photography.

TECH SHEETS

We extended the overall creative direction to printed tech sheets, where again, the photography was the hero. A simple two column layout was utilized. The darker bottle shots on the left, with brighter, easier to read text on the right. Even though the content and color contrast between the columns is extreme, the layouts maintain balance. 

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