Western Australian Distillery Damaged Goods Distilling Co. are on a mission to prove that spirits made with imperfect ingredients don’t have to be anything less than perfect… GSM takes a look at this unique brand and their eye-catching label designs…
From odds and ends
After working in restaurants and bars for a big chunk of their lives, Tim Laferla and Pia Papenfuss were intimately familiar with the vast amount of fresh produce sent to landfill every day by the hospitality sector—peels, pulp, stalks, odds and ends. Something about this didn’t sit right with the duo, who mulled this over and then saw an opportunity. – Use select ingredients from this waste chain and turn these into high-quality spirits. Create a premium product that reduces landfill and helps the planet—a win-win you can toast to! As Tim explains, ‘…we knew we didn’t want to compromise on taste and quality, so our spirits are crafted with the utmost care. From carefully chosen waste streams that have incredible flavour potential, we tinker and toy until bam—magical metamorphosis happens’.
Branding with Brandwell
When it came to branding, Tim and Pia knew they needed a visual identity, and labelling solution that was more than just aesthetics. To hit just right, it needed to capture the heart of everything they stood for. After narrowing down a short-list of potential designers, the challenge went to Melbourne-based agency Brandwell. As Pia describes,
‘They spoke our language, shared our values and had the kind of edge we were looking for. It wasn’t just about picking a designer—it was about finding a creative partner who ‘got it’ and could bring this whole thing to life’.
Who drinks Damaged Goods?
The target audience for Damaged Goods was defined as ‘25–50-year-olds, with a female skew. They are urbanites with a bold, rebellious style who thrive on authenticity and value sustainability’. People who work in progressive or creative fields, are quality-focused over quantity, and are passionate about food and culture. They seek out unique spirits with a story, avoid green-washing and support local producers who share their values’.
Cheeky, energetic and honest
Drawing on a combination of the brand name, premium positioning, and the desire to create a disruptor identity, the team at Brandwell developed a street-smart aesthetic focusing on food waste as ‘the hero’. This was communicated through a series of custom abstract illustrations featuring one core ingredient. A nod to the imperfectness of the ingredients. The brand was further fleshed out with graffiti-style typography and visual elements. The tagline, ‘Get Unwasted’, captured the cheeky, energetic and honest persona of the brand. Which was delivered with a playful and confident attitude.
Damaged Goods Label
With the core brand elements established, the team at Brandwell moved on to the label designs. Experimenting with layouts, print finishes and materials. The process was highly collaborative. As Tim explains,
‘From the first sketch to the final proof, it was clear we were crafting something special. The end result? A package that doesn’t just tell our story. It feels like us’.
Anthony Partington, Creative Director and Co-founder of Brandwell, explains the rationale, ‘We first think of food waste as the scraps scraped off our plate post-meal—but what we are talking about here is hidden waste. Think: orange husks left over from juicing, cascara from coffee roasters, bananas left-over from markets. There’s nothing ‘wrong’ with any of this. We needed to disrupt the thinking that waste is ‘ugly’ and attract conscious consumers who are willing to spend more on a brand experience. An experience that makes them feel good about their impact on the planet, but don’t want to sacrifice on quality.’
The pioneer of zero waste
We needed to create an authentic, bold statement based on enjoyment of super-premium ‘sustainable’ spirits. Despite some brands increasing their sustainability by rethinking their packaging, no major player in the Australian alcohol space owns the concept of ‘zero waste’ in relation to the product itself. This was the opportunity—be the pioneer. Be an example of a company that is not only talking sustainability—but is walking the walk’.
Printing the Damaged Goods label
When it came to printing, Brandwell nominated Pack Creations. A printer they could trust to push boundaries and come up with solutions working with relative small quantities and tight budgets.
The production process was very collaborative— choosing stock, selecting embellishments and working out how to produce the labels effectively. The labels were printed on an HP Indigo WS6600 Digital Press. And finished on an ABG Digicon Series 3 press for the die cutting, foiling (black & copper) and varnishing.
Testing was required to ensure the foil and matt varnish would both hold on the stock—Wausau Bright White Felt.
Anthony is a big fan of the stock, ‘Our trusted Ball & Doggett rep, Liam Fish, has recommended this stock with other Alcoholic Beverage label projects in the past. The natural look provides a good amount of tooth, contrasting beautifully with hot foiling. The colours print vibrant and lush, and this stock is made with post-consumer waste, a big tick’. 
As Adrian Roach, sales manager of Pack Creations, explains ‘Make-ready on the hot foil element was very intricate, with solid areas & fine text. The design included a distressed look that gave the appearance of under impression in the solid areas. This meant opening-up some of these features in pre-press, so when we applied heavy impression, the spots and fading finish didn’t fill in. In addition, the cutting shapes were not easy—but this was the design, so we persevered. The use of the Wausau Bright White Felt against the Bold colours & black foil is really striking’.
The finished result
Tim and Pia are incredibly proud of the finished result.
‘Hardly a week goes by without someone complimenting our packaging design, its look and feel. The framework Brandwell has created is solid, and will serve us well for years to come’.
GSM would like to thank Tim and Pia from Damaged Goods Distilling Co. (Perth) + the teams at Brandwell (Melbourne) + Pack Creations (Melbourne) for their assistance in writing this article.
For more information on Wausau Bright White Felt—go to:
Australian readers: //ballanddoggett.com.au
NZ readers: //bjball.co.nz
