Bottle of Bois Pinot Gris 2023 white wine with a grey label and silver foil top on a white and patterned light green background.

Bois Wines

Branding
Logo Design
Art Direction
Print Design
Social Media Design

Overview

Bois is a conceptual wine brand I created to push my design boundaries by tackling the challenge every wine brand faces—standing out in a sea of predictable labels.

I handled everything from brand strategy to bottle mockups, creating a complete identity system that would work for an Okanagan winery targeting wine newcomers. The goal was simple: make wine approachable for people who feel overwhelmed in the wine section.

Objective

Create a wine brand that feels approachable instead of intimidating.

Most wine brands have labels that make casual buyers feel like they need a sommelier degree to choose a bottle. My goal was to design an elegant, simple identity for an Okanagan winery that connects with people who might not know wine terminology but still want to find something they'll enjoy.

Research

I needed to understand what I was up against in the wine market, so I studied local Okanagan wineries and global brands to see what consumers expect—and where the gaps were.

The research showed me two extremes: established wineries with sophisticated, heritage-focused brands, and contemporary wineries that were approachable but forgettable. There wasn't much in between—which told me exactly where Bois needed to sit. The sweet spot was approachable elegance that respected wine culture without making newcomers feel overwhelmed.

Two bottles of Compendium wine and a glass of red wine against a black background.Five bottles of Fitz sparkling wine in different varieties, arranged in a row against a black background.

Ideation

I started with hand sketches to explore different directions—sometimes the best ideas come from putting pen to paper before opening any design software. I experimented with various approaches, focusing on concepts that felt timeless rather than trendy.

Once I had promising directions, I moved to digital refinement and tested how each concept would work across different applications—logos need to function on tiny wine labels just as well as large signage. The key was finding something that felt fresh in the wine space while still being sophisticated enough for the product.

Six variations of the word BOIS with a lightbulb design integrated into the letter O, shown on black, blue, dark blue, white, light blue, and cream backgrounds.Two side-by-side panels each with the text 'Something for every table' and a subtext about handcrafted wines from the Naramata Bench, along with the bois logo; the left panel has dark text on white background, the right has white text on a dark blue background.

Challenges

  1. The biggest challenge was nailing the colour palette. I initially went with blue as the focal colour, but it looked terrible against actual wine bottles—the colour clash was impossible to ignore. After several rounds of testing, I scrapped that direction entirely and explored warmer tones that actually complemented the product.
  2. The logo presented its own puzzle: creating something that felt unique and refined without crossing into pretentious territory. I hit a few creative walls where nothing felt quite right. Taking a step back and giving myself some distance from the work helped me push through and find a direction I'm genuinely proud of.

Final results

The final Bois identity hits exactly what I was going for—elegant without being stuffy, approachable without dumbing things down. The designs work beautifully across everything from bottle labels to social media, which was crucial for a brand that needs to live both on shelves and screens.

This project was particularly satisfying because wine branding has been on my creative bucket list for years. Coming from a wine-loving family, I had strong opinions about what works and what doesn't in this space—turns out that personal investment made me push harder for something genuinely different. Plus, getting to blend my print and digital design skills into one cohesive system reminded me why I love projects where everything has to work together perfectly.

Outdoor billboard with the text 'Something for every table' next to an image of two hands clinking white wine glasses.
Bottle of Bois Pinot Gris 2023 white wine with a grey label and silver foil top on a white and patterned light green background.
Bottle of Bois Pinot Gris 2023 white wine with a silver-gray label and cap on a light gray background.
Bottle of Bois Pinot Noir 2022 wine with a grey label and minimalist design on a light grey background.
Bottle of Bois 2023 rosé wine with a white label and purple cap on a light background.
Smartphone screen displaying an Instagram post by bois featuring a food and wine pairing guide with the text 'Something for every table'.
Two images: left shows three people clinking glasses of red wine at a dinner table; right shows a food spread with grapes, crackers, dip, and two glasses of rosé with text 'Something for every table' and BOIS logo.

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