Hey Tomorrow

To change perceptions we needed to understand them. We engaged in a robust strategy session to build an extremely strong knowledge base to move forward with confidence. The initial strategy work involved investigating the problem at hand from a local and global viewpoint, researching the competitive landscape and how that might shift moving forward, understanding our potential audiences and most importantly delivering a plan for how we will connect with them.

We had a strong strategic direction in place which helped with the naming process. From here we landed on Hey Tomorrow – a simple, conversational touch to the brand that also delivers a broader, deeper meaning. Paired with the tagline Forward Drinking™ Wine, the writing cleverly references two of the company’s key pillars; longer lasting wine and wine that considers our future.

We followed on by delivering a brand identity that oozes quality – something never seen in the boxed wine game. Minimal but tactile was the mantra for the high-quality, understated packaging printed supported by a beautifully letterpressed wrap. A key challenge to the project was a hierarchical balance between Hey Tomorrow as a brand and the winemakers themselves; through consistent typesetting and a clear hierarchy this balance was soundly achieved. We conceived and executed a photoshoot that would deliver the feeling of candid but luxurious moments. We wanted the audience to feel like they could take Hey Tomorrow to a fancy party with oysters, or prop it on the couch next to a bowl of popcorn while tuned into Netflix. The team included photographer Peter Tarasiuk and stylist Lee Blaylock.

The design route taken for Hey Tomorrow was completely holistic. To change engrained perceptions, we needed to start from scratch. We used design as a tool to challenge the way people see boxed wine. We asked questions. What if we called it something radical? What if we used a minimal, refined aesthetic to sell high-quality wine in bulk? What if our packaging was tactile and looked nothing like other boxed wine? What if our photoshoot said ‘you can be luxurious and comfortable at the same time’. What if we built a handle into the top of the box so it could be poured easily or taken to a picnic? What if we called this the future and did it our way?

All of these questions helped deliver a brand and product that has so far been flying off the store shelves and onto living room shelves. So much so that in its short history the greenhouse gas emissions saved by customers are the equivalent driving 1 mid-sized car around for 1.2 years or the equivalent of 1663kg of glass going into landfill.

While the visual brand identity of Hey Tomorrow is integral to its success, its name and verbal brand is equally as important. The tone of voice for the brand is critical in how it communicates with its audience. We had to be careful not to preach too much as to push people away or talk about ‘goon’ as to conjure up negative connotations from past experiences. Our goal was to be positive to encourage change yet playful enough to allow enjoyment.

The Hey Tomorrow brand identity and design reimagines what the future of wine consumption looks like. The packaging implements the philosophy of looking to the past the define the future. This can be applied to a broader range of liquid products as society looks to the impact that glass production and transport has on our planet. The letterpressed sleeve is designed to reduce the ongoing print impact, while the convenient handle imagines a world in which walking around to a dinner party or a picnic with a box of wine is not frowned upon. Overall the minimal and sleek design envisages a world where the boxed wine takes pride of place on the bookshelf. The blocked colour system divides the wines up into white, red, rosé, making them easily identified from afar and the consistent white wrap brings them together as a family.

Hey Tomorrow delivers both environmental, financial, habitual and social change. Changing the behaviour of how society drinks and the perceptions of boxed wine has the ability to have a lasting impact; on the environment, the hip pocket and the taste buds. No longer does a bottle of wine need to be either reluctantly drunk or tipped down the sink after taking a turn, saving money in the process and causing less waste.

Significantly less energy is used to create a 2L box of Hey Tomorrow wine than that of a standard 750ml bottle of wine. To be exact…2133% less in process energy consumption, 17% less in materials energy consumption and 344% less in transport energy consumption. Estimated C02E releases are also dramatically lower in boxed wine; 7% less material C02E, 1806% less process C02E and 344% less transport C02E are released compared to a standard bottle. In total Hey Tomorrow can have a carbon footprint that is approximately 8 x lower than the glass bottle equivalent.

The clever packaging system means that each new wine produced only requires updated letterpressed sleeves rather than reprinting entire boxes; saving print plate costs, energy and material wastage. The sleeves are letterpress printed by Hungry Workshop using FSG certified paper on a vintage Asburn Proof Press that requires very little electricity as much of the press is human powered.

The bag-in-box packaging format is made up of 75% cardboard and 25% plastic. The cardboard component is 100% recyclable and can be put in a household recycling bin. The wine bladders and taps can be recycled using pyrolytic conversion. While these can be sent back to Hey Tomorrow via their free recycling bags, Hey Tomorrow expect to engage in the full recycling program when the technology arrives in Australia which is expected in early 2022.

Significantly less energy is used to create a 2L box of Hey Tomorrow wine than that of a standard 750ml bottle of wine. To be exact…2133% less in process energy consumption, 17% less in materials energy consumption and 344% less in transport energy consumption. Estimated C02E releases are also dramatically lower in boxed wine; 7% less material C02E, 1806% less process C02E and 344% less transport C02E are released compared to a standard bottle. In total Hey Tomorrow can have a carbon footprint that is approximately 8 x lower than the glass bottle equivalent.

The clever packaging system means that each new wine produced only requires updated letterpressed sleeves rather than reprinting entire boxes; saving print plate costs, energy and material wastage. The sleeves are letterpress printed by Hungry Workshop using FSG certified paper on a vintage Asburn Proof Press that requires very little electricity as much of the press is human powered.

The bag-in-box packaging format is made up of 75% cardboard and 25% plastic. The cardboard component is 100% recyclable and can be put in a household recycling bin. The wine bladders and taps can be recycled using pyrolytic conversion. While these can be sent back to Hey Tomorrow via their free recycling bags, Hey Tomorrow expect to engage in the full recycling program when the technology arrives in Australia which is expected in early 2022.

Hey Tomorrow and The Carbon Farming Foundation are working in partnership to tackle the challenge of carbon emissions from both ends, reducing carbon on production, delivery and carbon farming. Hey Tomorrow are drastically reducing carbon emissions in the packaging and distribution of Australian wine, while dedicating 50% of profits to supporting Australian Farmers to reduce emissions and drawdown carbon, via the Carbon Farming Foundations DIY carbon farming programs.

Comments from Chair of the Victorian Premier’s Design Awards Jury, Celina Clarke

“By delivering a brand identity that oozes quality, Hey Tomorrow have excusably changed the boxed wine game by changing ingrained perceptions.

The minimal yet tactile designed packaging supported by a beautifully letterpress wrap highlights the balance between candour and luxury, suggesting the product can be justified at any event or gathering. The creative design campaign effectively advocates that the product can be both luxurious and comfortable at the same time.”