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InspirationGraphic Design

OMSE's identity for China's first gin brand inspired by a legacy of secret societies

For a brand "born on the back streets of Shanghai" and deemed China's first gin, the chance to create its identity and dig down into its roots will certainly excite most graphic designers. For London studio OMSE, it proved to be a three-year project inspired by a legacy of secret societies that thrived in the world's largest trading port during the early 20th century.

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Bartender in waistcoat and white shirt holding a bottle of Peddlers Gin with distinctive apothecary-shaped dark glass bottle and functional shoulder ring

OMSE founder James Kape and his team referenced this story for Peddlers Gin, along with Shanghai's signwriting of the time, to create a brand with a custom typeface in collaboration with Family Type.

It also crafted a bespoke bottle with a distinctive apothecary shape, curved body and rounded edges – much like the bottles streetsellers might've sneakily sold liqueur from during that time. A functional ring on the left shoulder of the bottle was designed and tested to allow "easy mobility and slinging of cocktails in all environments", as OMSE puts it, "from speakeasies to street corners".

Peddlers Gin Company circular logo in cream on dark green background, featuring Chinese characters and English text arranged in a ring around a central circle
Custom typeface for Peddlers Gin displaying the full character set including Latin letters, numerals, punctuation marks and Chinese characters on a dark green background
Outline of the letter G with construction lines and red markers transforming into a solid cream G on a dark green background, connected by a white arrow

Although impressive in its identity and packaging design, it was the launch of the bottle itself that adds extra finesse. Peddlers sent hundreds of bartenders a branded antique key in a wax-sealed envelope – stamped with the Peddlers logo but no other explanation. A week later, a limited-edition mahjong box with the new bottle smuggled inside, hidden in a secret compartment, was hand-delivered to 100 of the top bartenders in China. Interestingly, moving the mahjong tiles into place would reveal the goods inside via a trap door. To say it's an identity that considers the brand's legacy from start to finish is an understatement. Watch the

(https://vimeo.com/489381509) below to see the reaction of some bartenders.

To further boost the marketing campaign, Peddlers held mahjong-related events across China, taking its product release to a much wider audience.

What was the most fascinating aspect of the research process? "The sheer amount of glyphs which exist in Chinese typefaces," says James Kape. "While English uses a standard roman alphabet, Chinese can be written in different variants across China and there are 7,000 characters in general use in the modern language."

OMSE worked with Think Packaging, Render Studio, Family Type, and photographer Graeme Kennedy to bring its vision for Peddlers Gin to life. Discover more at Omse.co.

Bottle of Peddlers Gin with black label and red wax seal against a dark green background, featuring a functional ring on the shoulder and Chinese characters on the label
Peddlers Gin bottle label showing Shanghai craft gin branding with botanical ingredients listed including juniper, angelica and Xinjiang almonds
Peddlers Gin bottle viewed from above, showing the red wax seal and circular logo with Chinese characters on the wooden cork
Peddlers Gin bottle with distinctive apothecary shape displayed alongside a black mahjong-themed box with red text and graphics against a dark background
Peddlers Gin bottles arranged on a red and black mahjong box with Chinese characters, photographed from above
A person in a white shirt holds a Peddlers Gin bottle with a black label against a dark surface lit with red ambient lighting
Peddlers Gin mahjong boxes stacked on a delivery tricycle against a green wall with red Chinese characters
Vintage bicycle laden with red Peddlers Gin boxes parked against dark green doors of a brick building with ivy-covered walls
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