Icon: Art of the Wine Label [Hardcover]

Jeffrey Caldewey (Author), Chuck House (Author), Robert M. Bruno (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2003

The wine label is a powerful icon of modern civilisation. It is a precious object of art that symbolises and disseminates the cultural and spiritual values of the land where the wine is grown. Wine label design has undergone a renaissance where art meets marketing in the most powerful way, penetrating the subconscious, and using the power of suggestion to imply flavour and quality. Jeffrey Caldewey and Chuck House are acknowledged masters of the new designs and they have created designs for some of the world's most sought after wines. This book is a collection of their most important works. Beginning with a short treatise on some of the philosophical aspects of modern icongraphy, it documents 100 wine labels and bottle designs in life size with complete descriptions of the genesis and thought behind each deisgn concept. This book will become a classic in package design and essential for wine marketers and those who collect label art.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Caldewey and House have shaped and influenced the evolution of the international wine label, and developed the concept of the wine package as both a work of art and a commercial enterprise -- Robert Mondavi "Robert Mondavi Winery"

Product Details

• Hardcover: 275 pages
• Publisher: Wine Appreciation Guild; Revised edition (May 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891267302
• ISBN-13: 978-1891267307
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 8.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #738,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

'The label is part symbol, part memory, and part storytelling...'
Jeffrey Caldewey is co-founder of Icon Design Group, an internationally acclaimed design and marketing firm specializing in brand development of 'liquid luxury' labels. Caldewey began his design career as President and Art Director of the Napa Valley design studio Vintage Image where he wrote, designed, and published art and reference books on the wine industry. One of Caldewey's earliest designs was for Chateau Montelena, the wine that went on to win the infamous Paris Tasting featured in the movie, Bottle Shock. Later Caldewey served as Founding Partner and Art Director for Colonna, Caldewey, Farrell. The early efforts of these two firms sparked the modern renaissance of label design. Caldewey now heads Icon Design Group in collaboration with colleague(and brother-in-law) Chuck House. House's first label design was the now iconic Frog's Leap. Together they have a loyal following of clients on five continents.
http://www.icondesigngroup.net
mailto:[e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, September 17, 2003

By 

C. piper "The 'Great One'" (San Diego) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Icon: Art of the Wine Label (Hardcover)

Work from the world's leading wine label artist and designers Jeffrey Caldewey and Chuck House. An intricately produced book incorporating the symbolic language of wine labels, trademark illustration incorporating style with remarkable production elements. The definitive book on wine label art, design and history. Every aspect of wine label design is clearly and thoroughly covered. A beautiful book printed on high quality paper, displaying colourful details and commentaries behind the art of the wine label. The quality of print is so good it's almost as though the original labels have been pasted onto the pages. This book offers to anyone who is fortunate to own it a broadened knowledge on a subject often discussed with little or no knowledge at the dinner table. For many that know much about wines here's an opportunity to learn more about the mystery and allure behind the wine label. I rate this book a '10' on a scale of Ten.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must Have, September 26, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Icon: Art of the Wine Label (Hardcover)

A designers must have! Great inspiration on pushing the envelope in packaging design. Jeffrey Caldewey and Chuck House are the top of their field and it shows in every design. A great gift for the upcoming holidays. Everyone from wine connoisseur to artist will enjoy this book.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars for Wine Geeks--Two for the Rest of Us, August 6, 2003

By 

Bill Marsano (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Icon: Art of the Wine Label (Hardcover)

By Bill Marsano. This perplexing book is beautifully produced and generously proportioned. The publisher has given his all (not without hope, however, of getting it back--note the price). It's most impressive. So why is it also rather disappointing?

Frankly, it's because we are led to expect too much. Title and subtitle suggest a richly informed and wide-ranging survey of label art from many sources over many decades. In fact the coverage spans just a few years, a few places (nearly 85 percent of the designs are from California) and two designers (Jeffrey Caldewey and Chuck House, who are pre-eminent in their field). And the subject isn't art but label and package design: in short, sales tools. Even the title is a pretentious flim-flam. 'Icon' means either 'sacred image,' which is hardly justified here, or those vulgar little cartoons that offend the eye on computer screens the world around. Surely they didn't mean <that>?

Then revelation comes: Icon is the name of the design firm headed by Caldewey and House. It is hard to escape the conclusion that this is a glorified promotional brochure.

Within those rather severe limitations this is a pretty attractive coffee-table production. Each of the more than 100 wines shown has its own page and is shown in full--the whole 'package,' not just the label. Some are delightful, charming, friendly and fun, notably those of Bonny Doon (whose owner is the famously humorous Randall Grahm), Frog's Leap, Gundlach Bundschu, Honig, Whitehall Lane and (too few) others. Elsewhere, elegance is to be found, as is cutting-edge stylishness--and, unfortunately, other labels that seem prim and merely dignified, as if standing on ceremony.

Each package portrait faces a page with a blessedly brief paragraph of odd facts, high-flown hooey and grammatical lapses (one wonders about the editing here; the first error, although admittedly minor, occurs in the very first line of the introduction). By hooey I mean insider designer prattle like 'the five-sided label . . . represents the five grape varietals used in the blend.' To me, symbolism fails when the designer has to explain it. Especially because this selfsame label clearly lists not five but <four>. Or 'A separate aureate banner proclaims the wine's reserve pedigree.' 'Aureate'? Oh, you mean gold-colored or gold-tone? 'Banner'? Oh, that's the tacky little strip made to resemble, complete with nail holes, the brass title tags found on ancient picture frames. Frankly, a designer still using such old-hat stuff in 2000 has more reason to blush than to boast.

One important point that does come through is that good design isn't simply "dreamt up" but discovered and developed from facts and artifacts specific to each project. A good example is the elegant Lewelling label, inspired by the 19th Century calling card of the winery's founder. Another is Whitehall Lane's, based gloriously on the melted-crayon artwork of the winery owner's three-year-old daughter.

Wine geeks will love this book and so will designers. Ordinary wine-drinkers will enjoy a quick riffle or two but then are likely to leave it on the coffee table and forget about it.--Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer on wines, spirits and travel.