Gin
The craft distillery's flagship. Botanical story, a distinctive bottle presence and a range system for seasonals and limited editions.
Spirits and RTD packaging design.
Bottles, labels, closures and gift packs for gin, whisky, rum, vodka and liqueurs, and cans for RTDs and canned cocktails. Where finish quality carries the price.
What does spirits packaging design involve?
Spirits packaging design is the design of bottle labels, closures, neck collars, gift boxes and tubes for gin, whisky, rum, vodka, agave spirits and liqueurs, and of cans and cartons for ready-to-drink spirits and canned cocktails.
In spirits the bottle is often kept, displayed and gifted. Label finish, paper, embossing and closure quality justify the price, while RTDs sit in the fastest-moving fridge in the store and turn over new flavours constantly. Both carry the same mandatory alcohol warnings.
Morice&Co. brings national beverage experience to spirits, including 5 Seeds Cider for Asahi Beverages, a brand built by borrowing the character of premium spirits, and James Boag's for Lion.
00Our position
In spirits, the finish is the price tag.
Paper stock, embossing, foil and closure weight are read before the words. Specify them with the printer early, because they change the artwork.
A distillery story needs a system.
Small-batch releases, cask strengths and seasonal gins multiply fast. A brand architecture keeps the distillery recognisable across every release.
RTDs live on the edge of the ABAC code.
Bright colours, fruit flavours and playful names are where canned drinks most often breach the appeal-to-minors rule. Design for adults from the start.
01What we design
Spirits formats we design.
Premium glass and fast-moving cans need very different thinking, with the same brand underneath.
Whisky and aged spirits
Age statements, cask details and provenance carried with restraint and premium finishes.
Rum, vodka and agave
Brands where character and occasion separate one bottle from the next.
Liqueurs and aperitifs
Flavour-led products where colour and illustration can carry more personality.
RTDs and canned cocktails
Cans and multipacks for a fast-turn fridge, with flavour systems that refresh often.
Gift packs and tubes
Seasonal boxes and tubes that turn a bottle into a present.
02The rules
What a spirits label has to carry.
Spirits and RTDs follow the Food Standards Code alcohol rules and the industry's marketing code.
Pregnancy warning
Mandatory since 31 July 2023 on drinks above 1.15% alcohol: the FSANZ pictogram, PREGNANCY WARNING in red and the set statement, on every container and outer pack. For 200 to 800 mL packs the pictogram is at least 6 mm, with 3 mm clear space.
Alcohol content and standard drinks
Alcohol by volume and the number of standard drinks, which on a high-strength spirit is a large number to place well.
ABAC and appeal to minors
The ABAC Responsible Alcohol Marketing Code covers packaging. Colours, characters or names with strong appeal to minors breach it, and pre-vetting approval does not protect a pack from a later complaint.
Outer packs and gift boxes
The pregnancy warning applies to outer packaging such as gift boxes and cartons, not just the bottle.
Name and description
Product names and descriptors must be accurate. Terms tied to a place or method should only be used where they genuinely apply.
Net contents and origin
Net volume to trade measurement rules, supplier details and country of origin information.
03Selected work
Work that proves it.
5 Seeds Cider borrowed its premium character from spirits. James Boag's shows heritage cues handled with care. Both are national beverage brands.
Cider · Premium Tier Launch
5 Seeds Cider.
A premium cider tier with the character of a spirits brand, built to carry one SKU into a five-SKU portfolio across Coles and Dan Murphy's. For Asahi Beverages.
Read the case studyBeer · Heritage Re-systematisation
James Boag's.
A Tasmanian brewer since 1881. Every shelf-facing cue audited and ranked, then the system sharpened across the range for Dan Murphy's, BWS and national rollout. For Lion.
Read the case study04Pricing
What it costs.
Fixed fees, scoped to the brief. No hourly rates. A written proposal within five working days of a first conversation.
$5k–$10k
Single SKU pack refresh
Existing brand, updating one product. Front-of-pack redesign, back-of-pack rebuild, retailer-ready artwork.
$20k–$60k
Full brand + range across 5–10 SKUs
Ground-up brand or rebuild, packaging system, range architecture, guidelines and launch collateral. Naming, strategy and photography each add scope.
$60k–$150k+
Category-leading rebrand or private label programme
Full brand system, deep range architecture, retailer rollout materials, brand book and photography direction.
05Client words
In their own words.
“I've worked with Morice for over 10 years. He combines strategic thinking with outstanding design craft, understands the brief, the brand and the business goal, and delivers work that is polished, on-brand and effective.”
Nathan Caston, Marketing Manager · NKA
“Morice is simply elite. If you're looking for a designer who actually gets your brand, not someone who makes things look pretty, he's your guy. Sharp, clean work delivered without the usual back-and-forth drama.”
Beau London, Founder · frasé skin