Hanami, Premium Umeshu Liqueur

Hanami Premium Umeshu Liqueur is one of six award-winning designs featured in the Avery Dennison “Inspired by Diversity” envelope. Created by Smith Lumen and printed by Rotas Italia, the design takes full advantage of the depth of color and exceptional printing ability of the facestock by utilizing multiple printing techniques.

“Hanami” in Japanese refers to the traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowering trees. Smith Lumen said this inspired the design:

“The timeless elegance of the purest black, the preciousness of a delicate gesture handed down over time and in the culture of a people. The silky white and pink stand out against the softness of the paper, the gold foil embellishes the simple perfection.”

Rotas Italia comments on the Hanami, Premium Umeshu Liqueur label:

“The Fasson Soft Touch Black is a soft black, as delicate as flowers, that makes the gold stand out. The reliefs are strong and refined, shiny on matte. The idea of the artist was a soft-spoken elegance, a ‘geisha’ twig. A representation of kind nature, soft rose petals noiselessly swaying, sparkling in the gold leafs emerging from paper.”

Our M_usings
The most immediately conspicuous characteristic of this bottle design for Umeshu liqueur is its height. The minimalist, slender form is quintessentially Japanese, reinforced by the upright composition of English characters, on an elongated label, to imitate vertical writing systems. Though a more poetic reading might interpret the height of Hanami as the distance between an earth-bound nature enthusiast and the canopy of flowering blossom trees.

Fasson Soft Touch Black contrasts elegantly against the rose tinted liquid. Spindly branches appear in gloss varnish, the darkness signifying the depths of winter from which the first Spring blooms emerge—to joyous reception. The use of gold foil to highlight a selection of flowers and typography denotes the value of this treasured traditional custom.