VISION:

To add the glamour factor to a biodynamic wine collection that despite being good, wasn’t being seen in the right places.

PATH:

When a distributor told Angus Thomson and Guy McMaster that they loved their wine but wouldn’t take them on unless they did something with their brand, they came to us. They admitted they were always apologising for their labels. So we set about creating them a brand new idea that better reflected the philosophy and story of them and their wine. We decided on the name Urlar, a Gaelic word meaning foundation. With family roots firmly planted in Scotland, Angus and Guy both have a deep love and respect for the land. It’s why they decided to produce their wine using organic and biodynamic principles. Viewed by many as alternative and some as a bit ‘peace, love and mung beans’, Angus and Guy wanted to make biodynamic winemaking glamorous.

In many ways the biodynamic approach grew as a movement in response to the industrialisation of farming. So we took our inspiration from William Morris, who founded the arts and crafts movement in response to the industrial revolution. Morris’ thistle wallpaper struck a chord. The thistle, national flower of Scotland, has delicate seeds that are carried by the wind to grow wherever they land. This resilient seed seemed the perfect symbol for both the heritage and future of Urlar. Pairing our stylized thistle seed with a contemporary word mark, and maintaining a simple but rich colour palette gave Urlar’s brand identity an understated elegance that put an end to any apologising. We’re pretty pleased with it too.