CLEMENTINE
Art direction
Branding
Hand lettering
This whiskey is an ode to those who hail from family hardships, grudges, and words left unsaid, who work tirelessly to turn a new leaf and break free from cycles of generational trauma. Clementine tastes of the bitter sting of familial history, and the lasting sweet note that can still follow even from the most begrudging roots.
My grandpa was born during the Great Depression and never came out of it.
Clementine gets its name from the traditional American ballad, “Oh my Darling, Clementine”, a lullaby my grandparents sang to me and that my eight-year-old nephew sings today. This song reminds me of both the sweetness of childhood innocence and the bitter shadow of an abusive family member. Clementine embodies our family's story of breaking generational barriers, one that proves that a family tree can still blossom, no matter the roots from which it came.
STORM
OKLAHOMA DIRT
HAYBALE
BARREL
BREEZE
GEOGRAPHICA ITALIC
INTERSTATE CONDENSED BOLD
INTERSTATE CONDENSED LIGHT
Each design element is inspired by my family’s story. Clementine’s hand lettered typography was inspired by Dust Bowl era publications and Southern Plains-based newspapers, where six generations of my family spent their childhoods in Oklahoma.
The off-white label echoes my parents' hopefulness for a better life. The lower half of the label, resembling a train ticket, represents the cross-country move my family made from Oklahoma to Manhattan in 2008 in search of growth and opportunities for their kids. The whiskey is aged 5 years, a year for each member of my nuclear family, and every number on the label represents an address of our old apartments in New York. Inspired by the countless gold figurines my grandma collected, Clementine’s gold lettering reflects the timelessness and lasting legacy of our familial bond.
The whiskey is balanced by notes of clementine oranges and honeysuckle, which grew freely in our front yard in Oklahoma and we savored like candy. The texture of the bottle gives a sense of rigid confinement, but the embossed botanicals inside tell a different story, one of new life and beauty conquering the harshest environments.
