Buckets & Spades - Men's Fashion, Design and Lifestyle Blog: packaging

Showing posts with label packaging. Show all posts

9 Feb 2017

Best of Packaging | Biggans Bocklingpastej by Bedow, Stockholm

Sometimes I find it hard to get started with work in the mornings, even after a coffee.

That's where Pinterest comes into its element. I type in a few likely words, like 'killer' and 'packaging', and up comes a ton of inspirational ideas that get my brain going.

Okay, so a smoked herring fishpaste might not be at the top of everyone's shopping list, but this beautiful design by Bedow of Stockholm will certainly make Biggins Bocklingpastej an eye-catcher on the shelf.

I love the way Bedow have thought of the small details too, like how the packaging will look when the box is half full and the pictures of the sea floor that are revealed once the book is empty.

We're always looking for inspiration for our Best of Packaging Instagram account. Found any great examples? Sent them to us!

You can find Nik at - Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter

12 Jan 2017

Beer + Design | Shower Beer by Snask + Pangpang Brewery

Try to ignore for a minute that someone has created a beer that you can drink in the shower (who's in that much of a rush? Hoping this is tongue-in-cheek!) and just concentrate on the lovely branding that has been designed by Snask + Swedish brewer Pangpang Brewery. A subtle dusty pink cap sits on top of the 180mm (6oz) brown slimline glass bottle, with the bold serif font being screen-printed into the front

Shower Beer is actually drinkable too; a 10% sweet pale ale, right up my street. Now, I just need to hunt one down to "check in" on Untappd! The words "Chug while you scrub" come to mind...

See more from this project on Behance here.

15 Sept 2016

Travel | Visiting Biella + Turin, Italy with Menabrea Beer

Menabrea Brewery, Biella, Italy

This past month has become a little fuzzy; we finally nailed down our Las Vegas wedding plans, set the wheels in motion for our mortgage application (which, for a self-employed "blogger" is wee bit complicated!), as well as a couple of travel opportunities that popping up at last-minute. I returned home from Italy and France to the news that we sadly lost my Grandad to cancer.

For that reason I haven't really felt inspired to keep on top of blogging lately. Somehow the daily scroll of Instagram has kept me a little more entertained, especially Jordan Bunker's incredible travel photos from Asia.

But this week I jumped straight back into editing photos from a recent trip to Biella + Turin, with Italian brewer Menabrea. This was a trip of new experiences for me; first time visiting Italy, first time touring a brewery (no ideal how I've avoided them for so long) and the first time my nostrils have been exposed to such high levels of potent cheese...!

A colourful collection of Menabrea's archived advertising

The name "Menabrea" wasn't totally brand new to me, and according to my Untappd beer app I've drunk a handful of their blonde ales in my time. The trip to Northern Italy cropped up at a really busy time, but it was hard to pass up on my first trip to a brewery.

My first task of the trip was to get the lingo right. I'd been struggling with the pronunciation of "Menabrea", and as it turns out you say it like "Men-a-bray-ah". Bags all packed for the 4am start from Stansted – all set for two days exploring the small town of Biella + historical city of Turin.

Best of Packaging | Noble Ray Brewing Co.

I think Mat knows more about packaging design than anyone else I know.

He's not that into the technical aspect of packaging - he probably could tell you what type of card a box is made from, but maybe not how many folds there are in a tetra pack - it's mainly the design, shape, colour and message he loves. And, as such, he always seems to have a new design to share - usually from some obscure brand, tucked away in a distant corner of the world.

So, it made total sense for him to start Best of Packaging - a new Instagram account, where he can share the best of what he finds with everyone. From coffee labels and craft beer cans, to olive oil bottles and chocolate wrappers.

To celebrate the launch of the account - although, it's been going for a little while now - I thought I'd pick one of my favourite designs so far: these beer cans from Noble Rey Brewing Co. over in Dallas, Texas. Because each beer can doesn't have much space to communicate the design, you need to stack two cans to appreciate the full design.

I hope you guys like them too! Head over to Best of Packaging on Instagram and tag you finds with #bestofpackaging. Cheers!

Images via Oh Beautiful Beer.

You can find Nik at - Twitter | Instagram | Newsletter

9 Mar 2016

New Balance x J.Crew 997 Butterscotch Edition

The New Balance 997 US-made silhouette gets the Butterscotch treatment with this new colourway, exclusive to J.Crew. Featuring an upper made from a mixture of premium leather, nubuck and suede, in candy-like shades of tan, beige and brown. This special release comes complete with a limited edition wooden presentation case, with enough room to stash a year's supply of Werther's Originals in.

So what's next for New Balance? We're gunning for a Tunnocks Teacakes collab... The New Balance x J.Crew 997 sneaker is set for release on 12th March in stores and online.

19 Feb 2016

Brass Metalwork Ruler by Tom Pigeon + Weekend Links

Simple, playful and purposeful design here, by Tom Pigeon. This 15cm solid brass ruler grabs inspiration from school woodwork classes, and traditional tools. Crafted up in the West Coast of Scotland, and designed to age over time. Nothing groundbreaking, but then, a ruler doesn't need to be.

Enjoy the weekend, folks! After a hectic week I'm looking for nothing more than a quiet chill.

Weekend Bucket List

Super Mario Kart with 101 players on one track is as great as it sounds - Sploid

Patrick Grant's new project aims to bring manufacturing back to Lancashire - Kickstarter

An Instagram account dedicated to found geometry in architecture - No Culture Icons

A series of articles about everyday morning routines - The All Night Listening Post

Time to refresh your wall art - Hecticophilia

In case you missed it - Hollie's back on the blog, this time wearing monochrome Dr Martens

26 Jan 2016

Beer + Design | Omnipollo Illustrations

I've been meaning to share these beer labels by Omnipollo ever since I stumbled across them in a dusty old beer + wine store in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, last summer, but for some reason they just got pushed back. As I look over them again the same thoughts pass through my head as they did previously - "You don't see this every day...I wonder what they taste like?"

Each one of Omnipollo's beers takes on characteristics of its own; by using different breweries from across the world to create a unique taste. Each bottle takes on a colourful, pleasing and somewhat surreal theme. I can only imagine that if they taste as complex as they look then these are sure to be showstoppers. Each design has been created by the company's Swedish brewer + artist Karl Grandin. Now, let's hunt some down?

See more of Omnipollo's designs here. See more packaging post here.

30 Sept 2015

Beer + Design | Big Belly Band

"Life is too short to drink cheap beer"

Drinking beer often results in a belly, but drinking great beer always is money well spent. Following an inspired visit to the Guinness Storehouse (see our visit here), Dublin in 2011, Daniele Simonelli + friends set their minds to creating their own 100% handcrafted beer, resulting in this homebrewing + branding project; Big Belly Band.

I think they did a smashing job, and no doubt it will inspire many others to give it a shot themselves. It sure is sending beery ideals whizzing around my head, one for a future project...

Originally seen on Oh Beautiful Beer. See more packaging post here.