Not sure why these images have decided to post themselves sideways, but either way, this is the Zombie Survival Can, a playful brand of energy drink. The reason I like this so much is because of the info graphics and iconography used on the side of the can and this is something that I am thinking about incorporating into my Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster.




Here.

Here. This is definitely a bit of an inspiration for me by way of the back label making up most of the design as it shews through the liquid. I want to try something like this with my Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster and trying to show hazard warning stripes through the liquid.



Here. I think these are some of the most peculiar but interesting bottles I have seen for a while. In fact, they're not really bottles so much as glass straws twisting up into the shape of a bottle. Doesn't really hold much liquid, but a very nice idea.


Here. Love how the the liquid in the bottle makes up the colour for the words on the label, that way more die cutting is used than ink.


Here. What I really like about these bottles is the tall, thin shape of them with the long neck. This is the kind of bottle shape that I wanted to experiment with because such a bottle shape seems quite standoffish and such.

Just a bit of a look at the existing imagery for the Willy Wonka brand. Purple seems to play a huge part of the design and the logo has been redone several times but this is the most modern logo.


A photograph of the actual Willy Wonka store. There are a couple dotted about across America, I believe. None in this country.

Just a look at some of the more unusual energy drinks that I have discovered in my research.


I believe this one mostly panders to this new 'Twilight' epidemic. I wish somebody would create a ruddy vaccine already.



Clever play on 'energy' always nice.


Only gamers will get the reference to healing 'potions' and such here.


The glow in the dark energy drink is pretty cool looking and would probably work quite well as a pan galactic gargle blaster due to the fact that it looks pretty potent.






This doesn't look like the most comfortable thing to drink out of so I'm thinking it's more of a concept than an actual commercial product.


Here.

Jagermeister serves it's shots in test tubes which does give it that whole 'experimental, somewhat hazardous' feel to it all, and I'm considering incorporating the test tube idea into my PGGB designs. Except PGGB is a cocktail and isn't served in shots. It's still something to consider though.

Duff beer from the Simpson's is something that's been made and can be bought in real life, though it isn't a beer, it's an energy drink. I like how the imagery has been kept so true to that of the cartoon. It's pretty recognizable.


For all those who watched Lost they will recognize this. The design of everything on the island has been stripped right back to the basics in black and white with the logo and saying exactly what it is. It has no frills.

I've been looking at how the strongest alcohols have been presented. The image below is Everclear and apparently it's the strongest alcohol in the world. It...really doesn't look like much. It looks like an own brand of vodka or something from some store. It looks really cheap and like it's not going to be very good. Either way, it's almost pure alcohol. I've read that it's 190% proof or something.


Absinthe is another type of alcohol that's gotten itself a good reputation of being very strong over the years. Whereas everybody has heard of (and tried, probably) Absinthe at some point in their life, I for one had never heard of Everclear. Absinthe is packaged in so many different ways but of course, green is the main colour of the design. It's an old drink now so many absinthe bottles are presented in the fashion of vintage bottles. Of course it's much different now, weaker and doesn't have the worm in the bottom like bottles from turn of the century New Orleans. It was banned in 1912.

These are something that I found here. They are RTD (ready to drink) cocktails in eco friendly packaging. They're made of thin, softer plaster so they chill quicker and they come with a leak proof dispenser. They're easier to recycle than glass bottles and they look pretty nifty. Like alcoholic Capri Suns.


As my plan is to create Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster as an RTD product, I've been looking and these premixed cocktails from well known spirit brands. The above bottles from Smirnoff are large bottles and serve several people at any one time.


These pre mixed cocktails from other well known brands come in cans so they contain enough for just one person.



These are some more that come in single serve portions. The picture isn't very big and it's a little difficult to tell if it's a bottle or a can, but still. Single serve options may be a good idea for a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster but I think you're only supposed to drink a small amount at any one time so they would maybe some in miniature size bottles?


More pre mixed cocktails from West Eleven this time. These are large bottles to serve several people at any one time, or to serve one person many drinks. To each their own. I actually really like the design for these bottles. They look quite whimsical with a mixture of type and image and just two colours. They're simple but effective.


That is a whole lot of miniature bottles right there. I love getting miniature bottles myself, I have quite a collection building but most of them are back home in Grimsby and not here in Leeds. When I was in Gibraltar the booze was so cheap it was unbelievable. I found some amazing miniature bottles but couldn't bring them all back. I did find some Chartreuse miniatures which I haven't seen anywhere in this country, so I brought those back with me. Some of the bottles were amazing. I found this really tall thin one that had some kind of tequila in it but I'm kicking myself for not getting it there and then. The bottle shape that will hold my Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is going to be quite important.

Tru Blood is not a show that I watch. I tried once, got about half way through the first episode and had to shut it off because the main character's voice irritated me so much. Oh well.

Something I do quite like about the whole thing is the fact that they created a drink for the show complete with packaging, branding and promotion. A lot of thought has gone into the whole thing and they've made all sorts for it, bill boards, shop window displays, multi-packs, variants in flavours.

This is a pretty interesting beer carrier. It just goes to show that they don't have to all follow the same format as this one shows. This one to me looks a little low at the sides and I would be a bit worried about the beers falling out and smashing if I moved too quickly, but that's just me. The jagged edges of the box suit the design direction that the product seems to be taking with the rough, hand drawn type. It's pretty coherent.

Designed by Kimo Ouellette

Found here. A series of posters to emphasise The Body Shop's ethical direction using their products to represent other issues that they help to deal with.

I think this is really clever the way it's been done, using their own products to represent others.