Are you the kind of person that chooses your drink based on the label? Have you ever seen a design on a bottle that has made you pause in the aisles? Well, graphic designers everywhere are trying to figure out how to appeal to their audience, and there is so much that goes into their creative process.

Our wine label design interns—Sara, Annelise, Dylan, Millefaye, Jack, Kiet, Meg and Taisla—put their hands up to learn the art of graphic design. Peter Dredge from Red Edge Wine was kind enough to offer a bottle that needed a makeover; the Degree Shiraz.

With Kira from The KH Studio, the facilitator of the Take Over, the team brainstormed the kind of questions a graphic designer asks a client. It's essential to understand a person's story when creating art for their brand. Kira guided the interns by showing how she gets to the heart of a brand's image.

As a part of this Take Over, the interns headed to the Heathcote Winery to ask Peter about the Shiraz, his brand history, and his career journey. This is how they learned he had a passion for the phascogale, a native marsupial that Peter himself is part of the conservation efforts to save. It's stories like this that impact designers and their thought processes.

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And as they say... "when in Heathcote!" The crew visited another local winery to meet India Munari of Munari Wines. Even though she had just finished picking grapes for their vintage that day, she sat down with the interns and told them her story. She also answered their questions about bottle design and told them her tips for a winning label. Bree, one of her young staff members, even answered the intern's questions about her job and how she got there.

Over the next few sessions, interns workshopped their ideas with Kira, leading to a presentation with Brent Nolan from Blunt Agency. He gave each intern personalised feedback and pointers for their work. This process helped interns workshop their designs and taught them the language for their decision-making process. Part of working with a client is being able to explain what you have done and why.

After that, the next mission was to print the labels. Alyssa Tucker, the lead Creative at The KH Studio, talked the interns through printing. She told them the dos and the don'ts of finalising designs and told them how she goes about wrapping up a project and trailing designs. 

This project ended with an exhibition of all the artwork at Rood Henry's Art Space. The crew went about organising the entire show themselves, hanging the art, setting up installations like a projector and lights, and organising the catering. This means our interns are now event organising pros, as the night was a hit!

To top it all off, one of the final designs was even chosen by Peter to go on a brand new bottle of wine. That alone is the testament to the power of young people. When they are given a shot like this, the take it for all it's worth.