Weird and wonderful. For those that find the pairing of those words as enticing as Sauvignon Blanc and asparagus, this wine is for you. The LeftField brand is the result of another great pairing—Te Awa Winery and prolific illustrator, Steven Noble. The Flying Squidmill is one in a series of bizarre characters created for the brand under the direction of Aaron Pollock Design. To see the entire series, check out this post on the World Brand Design Society site.
The term left field, as in, “coming out of left field” refers to the surprising, unusual, or unconventional. How apropos. From the label, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out? Rest assured this is not ‘just another NZ Savvy’. Eccentric and unequalled, they’re a star whether they want to be or not. The nerd who becomes a billionaire.” Though uncredited, that first line is from Dr. Seuss. Perhaps an inspiration. He created a legacy of his own weird and wonderful creatures.
The deeper you dig into this brand the more outlandish it becomes. Each creature comes with a description more incredible than its physical impossibility. Then there’s the “Fig 4.” notation that suggests the renderings were pulled from a reference book. Or photocopied. It’s all good fun and endearing.
In contrast to the ludicrous characters, the brand design is very slick. Especially the LeftField word mark. It’s common to split a two-word brand name into contrasting typefaces. Reversing the direction of a single letter as has been done before. The expectation here would have been to flip the F in Field to further distinguish the start of a new word. In this setting, switching the F in Left is more thoughtful. It neatly creates the opportunity to pair the LF as secondary branding.
Most of the information on the label is set in an italic serif typeface. It feels dated to me but these decisions are subjective. The main panel of the label is minimal and spacious. Why then is New Zealand indicated twice?
The tasting notes are beautifully written combining familiar fruit references with surprisingly atypical phrasing. A scant few lines and your mouth is watering. Oversell? Not at all. Although it fits the flavour profile of ‘NZ Savvy’, it’s fuller, fresher, and more crisp at the same time.
Weird isn’t for everyone. Some people think weird is just, well, weird. They don’t get it. For those who do, it creates a stronger connection.
Are you drawn to weird wine labels? Have an example? Let me know in the comments below.
