Royal Hill

Visual identity / packaging

Client: Royal Hill

In the heart of Slavonia sits the small village of Erdut, where the art of winemaking is as old as the ground itself. Of the innumerable nations that have called the region home, each had in common a passion for delectable wine. Manors and castles dot the countryside, surrounded by sprawling vineyards that feed on fertile, volcanic soil. On a Hapsburg chateau dating to 1730 now sits Royal Hill Estate.

Founded in 2020, Royal Hill is making waves in Croatia’s ever-thriving wine industry. To date, they have released several unique vintages, and as their selection grows, each passing harvest brings new opportunities for new wines. Royal Hill’s current inventory consists of flagship wines blanc de noir and rosé de pinot noir. Rosé makes up less than 1% of Croatian wines, indicative of Royal Hill’s innovation. Most recently they have released brut versions of these wines, each made using the Charmat method.

Every Royal Hill wine has achieved the ranking of vrhunsko vino - premium quality wine. What makes this possible is Royal Hill’s Slavonian roots. The Danube river surrounds the 45-hectare estate on three sides, giving the soil remarkable fertility. The vineyard is cared for by the most experienced vintners, many of whom come from families with their own legacy of winemakers.

We oversaw the brand’s identity and label design, a year-long project that culminated in one of our best creations to date. We started with the logo. Looking to the past for inspiration, we opted for a heraldic coat of arms depicting a stag, representative of wisdom and long life. It stands atop a shield, itself blazoned with a 13-pointed crown.

If we were to describe it in heraldic terms, the crest and blazon for the main label would read as follows: A crown of thirteen points Or. Or a stag tailed trippant argent.
For typography, we used a medley of typefaces that played well with each other. The main wordmark consists of the Sang Bleu Kingdom with its needlelike serifs juxtaposed against the unassuming Acumin. We topped it off with Idlewild for the label’s informative texts.

Every Royal Hill vintage comes with a unique color scheme. We used a combination of eye-pleasing colors that reflect the qualities of the wine they represent. Some of are a bit obvious, such as pink for the rosé, but sometimes simple is best. Royal Hill Estate wines are available now in stores and shops throughout Croatia.