In a fiercely competitive industry, Jackson-Triggs, an icon of Canadian wine, embarked on a remarkable journey with Jacknife to rejuvenate its Proprietors’ Selection line and masterbrand logo in celebration of the brand’s 30th anniversary. This transformative undertaking marked the first comprehensive overhaul of the product line in over a decade, driven by the necessity to maintain a competitive edge in the saturated market.
Often referred to as a “dad wine”, the primary objective was clear: to create a fresh and contemporary appearance that would remain recognizable to the brand’s core consumers, while also attracting the interest of potential new customers who may discover the brand while browsing at retail.
The process began with extensive research both within and outside the wine industry, delving deeply into the history of the Jackson-Triggs brand. An additional key aspect to the project’s success was the involvement of current and potential consumers. The initiative unfolded in three distinct phases: design, testing and refinement.
For the first phase, we used a “revolution” approach to crafting new label designs. We conceived a series of distinct design concepts that each aimed to push the boundaries of the iconic but dated label to varying degrees so that we could best understand the boundaries that existed for the brand.
Next, substantial consumer research was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the various test designs, understand consumer sentiments, and identify areas for optimization. The results unveiled three key elements that were pivotal in brand recognition on the shelf: the wordmark and emblem combination, the white background of the original label, and the use of a range of colours to represent varietals. In addition, consumers sought Jackson-Triggs to be presented as a quality, reliable, and approachable brand.
Armed with these valuable insights for the refinement phase, we concluded that the design direction needed to adopt an “Evolution” approach for the label and brand mark. The outcome was resounding—over 80% of loyal and prospective Jackson-Triggs consumers expressed a strong affinity for the new designs, significantly outshining the performance of the existing versions.
Along with updating the Proprietor’s Selection labels, the Jackson-Triggs masterbrand logo and emblem needed a redesign before the packaging could be finalized. We created a contemporary, customized serif treatment that decreased the overall length of the logo. The under-used “JT” emblem was refined as a cleaner, more contemporary version of itself optimized for clarity at a variety of scales such as small digital icon usage.
With a staggering 16 varietals, two bottle formats and boxes, Proprietors’ Selection’s presence on the retail shelf is extensive. Colour is vital to the line—as one of the first brands to colour code varietals, it was integral to include it in the redesign. Building on the two-colour ribbon from the previous label, we created a dynamic, weaving expression of the concept of “connection” which became a cornerstone of the brand system. This concept facilitated a bold approach to product launches and ensured a consistency across all touchpoints.
As Jackson-Triggs launched its new packaging nationwide the brand had a successful summer season, with the ability to attract consumers across all product sizes within the Proprietors’ Selection line. Cheers to this exciting new chapter!
