Devil's Corner Wine
Navigating the wine aisle is as much a challenge for consumers as it is for wine brands. With hundreds of labels competing for attention, even the best wines can be overlooked… wines like Devil’s Corner. This Tassie fan favourite was looking to premiumise its core range to command a higher price tag, by evolving the packaging to elevate perception, sharpening shelf presence, and deepening brand affinity and clarity—all while retaining the unmistakable Devil’s Corner feel—wild, raw, and as breathtaking as the place that inspired it.
Scope:
- Brand Identity
- Brand Strategy
- Creative Direction
- Packaging Design
- Creative Copywriting
- Graphic Design
- Illustration
- Photography & Art Direction
- Management & Production
Let’s set the scene…
Devil’s Corner is one of Tasmania’s most recognisable wine brands, loved by both cool-climate wine enthusiasts and casual drinkers alike. But as the core range moved to a higher price point, the packaging wasn’t keeping pace. The wrap-around labels, heritage ship motif, and legacy ‘curly wave’ illustrations felt busy and inconsistent on shelf. If the price was going up, the visual confidence needed to rise with it.
What was really going on
In a fiercely competitive wine category, recognisable assets alone aren’t enough. While Devil’s Corner had strong brand equities, they weren’t working together with enough clarity or authority. The label system was trying to do too much, diluting its premium cues and softening shelf impact. The task was clear: strip back the noise, sharpen the hierarchy, and let the strongest brand assets do the heavy lifting.
Sophisticated simplicity
We anchored the redesign in the elements that had strong brand equity—most notably, the HMS Resolution ship icon, which had become the brand’s most effective distinctive asset (DBA) on shelf.
The legacy ‘curly wave’ illustrations—originally carried forward from past packaging to aid consumer recognition—were identified as a barrier to premiumisation. We replaced these with a series of contemporary, abstracted wave textures inspired by the brush-stroke texture of the premium Resolution tier, delivering visual depth and sophistication.
Additional enhancements included a refreshed Devil’s Corner lock-up, a more deliberate colour system to maintain varietal differentiation while enhancing premium feel, and the consistent use of a black capsule across both reds and whites—borrowing visual cues from the premium Resolution range to reinforce a cohesive brand hierarchy.
A more cinematic feeling of place
To complement the new packaging, we evolved the Devil’s Corner photographic style. Rather than featuring the glossy, tourist-brochure version of Tasmania, we wanted to capture the rugged, elemental beauty of the east coast: jagged coastlines, smoky undergrowth, wild dunes, and windswept rocks. Every shot felt anchored in the landscape, textured and beautiful—just like the wines, conveying the feeling of the place that shapes them as much as their famous quality.
And then what happened?
The refreshed Devil’s Corner core range delivered tangible results, both commercially and in brand health. Prompted brand awareness increased from 17% to 19%, with a 2-point uplift in conversion from awareness to consideration. Brand affinity also grew strongly, from 35% to 42%, with more consumers seeing Devil’s Corner as a brand that’s ‘for them.’ Perceptions of the brand strengthened across key attributes—seen as more unique, intriguing, great tasting, and high quality. Most importantly, the premiumisation effort translated to the bottom line, driving a 6% sales uplift across the core portfolio during the campaign period.
Project Collaborators:
Photographer – Sean Fennessey
abstracted wave textures
