Cider packaging often tries to emulate looking like wine, with minimal labels and restrained palettes. But Meneer Bommel, designed by Withi Design Studio, has absolutely no interest in that. The central character is a round-bellied man in a red-and-white striped shirt, rendered in a loose, expressive line illustration style that draws on classic Dutch comic-strip tradition, often raising a glass with the easy contentment of someone who loves what they do.
The color palette is perfectly restrained, and the red stripes on the character’s shirt are the only pop of color, which makes that detail feel like the most important piece of the whole bottle. The brand name “Meneer Bommel” is set in a chunky, bouncy hand-lettered script that sits somewhere between a children’s book title and a neighborhood bakery sign, warm and approachable. The brand world was built on a storybook personality and a sweet sense of humor, which turns out to be exactly what I want in my cider.
