Flourishes, hand-written text, bright colors and amazingly intricate drawings draw us in to take a closer look at the packaging of soap, cider, wine, salsa, coffee and other products. These 15 ultra-artistic packaging designs are the opposite of all-black minimalism, but just as effective at attracting our attention to items we might not have noticed otherwise.

Tempt Cider

(images via: the dieline)

Dazzling illustrations of dragonflies, jewels, bird cages and partially nude figures will certainly tempt you to pick up a can or bottle of this cider, designed by Danish brand DDB Denmark, to take a closer look.

“The concept is build on the that cider keeps a secret,” the designers say. “You can not smell or taste it but cider is an alchohol. You get tempted by the innocent look, the fruity smell and the refreshing taste. You are too couriuos to avoid a sip and suddenly it´s you that have a secret. Therefore the cider got the name Tempt.

The design is characterised by the innocent look at the first glance but by looking closer you will find small secrets and hidden details.”

Bold City Brewery by Kendrick Kidd

(images via: kendrick kidd)

All of the packaging for Bold City Brewery of Jacksonville, Florida is ultra-colorful and attention-grabbing thanks to the artistry of designer Kendrick Kidd. From the labels on the bottles to the tap handles. Each type of beer gets an appropriate illustration, like the adorable dog on Duke’s Brown Ale and a campfire on the Smokey Porter.

Milk Cocktail by Studio Hattomonkey

(images via: coroflot)

Who could resist picking up a box of strawberry milk – even if you don’t like strawberry milk – when it looks like this? Russian design firm Studio Hattomonkey uses the image of a well-known superhero to make this conceptual packaging stand out.

Leap Organics by Moxie Sozo and Charles Bloom

(image via: lovelypackage)

Lush imagery evoking the wild, natural sources of scents like lavender, clove, eucalyptus and anise adorn the outside of these soap wrappers, designed by Moxie Sozo and illustrated by Charles Bloom for organic soap company Leap Organics.

INQ Mobile by Alberto Cerriteno

(images vía: alberto cerriteno)

Artist Alberto Cerriteno lent his highly distinctive style to packaging for INQ Mobile, resulting in a box that looks absolutely unlike anything you’ve ever seen at a cell phone shop.

The Quest Wine by Studio Lost & Found

(images via: studio lost and found)

What could better serve as a visual for a wine called ‘Quest’ than a series of knights in jaunty poses? Made by a winery called Chalice Bridge, the limited release range of wines represents ‘the Holy Grail of winemaking’. Tokyo-based illustrator Skye Ogden provided the illustrations.

Rabbit Children CD Package by Brian Danaher

(images via: brian danaher)

CD packaging like this recalls the medium’s heyday, when the case and insert were often as eagerly anticipated as the music itself. Brian Danaher designed this limited edition letterpress printed packaging for Rabbit Children’s EP ‘Cemetery Friends’, saying, “The packaging helped create awareness for the new release by standing out from the generic CD comps and digital download codes typically sent by most labels.”

Kraken Rum Media Kit

(images via: the dieline)

First of all, this rum is called ‘The Kraken’, giving it automatic awesome points. Second, it’s got an amazingly illustrated label. But take a look at the press package certain lucky members of the media received as part of the rum’s promotion. Packaging blog The Dieline received this box from Proximo Spirits, which is set up as a “proof” kit with each included element offering evidence that the mythical Kraken sea monster really does exist.

Cerveceria Sagrada

(images via: packaging of the world)

Designer José Guízar drew inspiration from ‘kitschy’ Lucha Libre, one of the most iconic symbols of Mexican pop culture, for this series of Mexican beers.

“The whole concept behind the brand and packaging is inspired by the golden era of lucha in the 1950’s, when movie heroes were not Superman or the X-Men — but El Santo and his wingmen, who fought creepy monsters driving a silver ’52 Alfa Romeo with surf music on the background. The variety of styles are named after fictional characters also inspired by the vintage lucha style; “Black King” Imperial Stout, “Blond Gomez” Lager and “The Vampire’s Son” Red Ale.”

Greenpharma by Grupo Habermas

(images via: grupo habermas)

If you’re going to give a product a cool name like Snake Venom Cream, you’d be remiss not to put an image of a snake on the package. Grupo Habermas helps natural cosmetic line Greenpharma strengthen its brand with simple and elegant illustrations, paired with embossed text in bold colors.

Fruta del Diablo Salsa by Moxie Sozo

(images via: moxie sozo)

Moxie Sozo gives an unknown brand a whole lot of shelf presence with this strikingly illustrated packaging. “By using hand-drawn illustrations inspired by the woodcuts of Mexican artist Jose Guadalupe Posada, we were able to lend authenticity to the salsa while reinforcing the product’s heritage in traditional Mexican cuisine.”

Bella Vie Wine

(images via: packaging of the world)

A ‘refreshingly sweet and fruity’ wine called Bella Vie gets an uber-feminine look in this packaging by Ziggurat Brands, marketed toward women who aren’t exactly wine-savvy.

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’! What they don’t necessarily want is to know all about the provenance of wine, the complexity of flavour, all of that flowery, fruity nonsense. It’s Friday night, everyone’s round for a pizza, crack open a bottle or three and enjoy…Treasury Wines asked us to develop abrand of rose designed for young women – a market that has very little interest in traditional wine language, codes or cues. ‘Bella Vie’ is bright, bold and simply, unashamedly about having a goodtime all the time.”

MLK by Depot WPF Branding Agency

(images via: depotwpf.ru)

Modern and minimalist, this definitely isn’t your typical big-brand dairy line – and that’s exactly what Depot WPF Branding Agency of Russia was going for in the packaging for MLK. The illustrated images on the packaging were drawn from photos of the actual farm on which the milk is produced.

“As for the illustrations, we used natural farming patterns – a family farm, where the products are produced in a traditional way. Illustrations are hand-made (with a pencil) which enables to stress the hand-made production process.”

Origin Coffee by A-Side Studio

(images via: the dieline)

The illustrations commissioned for the labeling of Origin Coffee aren’t just pretty pictures to peer at in the grocery store. These artist-designed works, curated by A-Side Studio, form a traveling exhibition which accompanies Cornwall, England’s Origin Coffee to tasting events.

Wicked Energy Drink by Kian Forreal

(images via: lovelypackage)

Traditional flash style comes to the Wicked Energy drink courtesy of tattoo artist/illustrator Kian Forreal. The design is bright and eye-catching, fittingly energetic for its purpose.

Black is a divisive color; either you see it as dramatic, mysterious and elegant or as somber and oppressive, to be used in small quantities. But you have to admit that, beside a bevy of brightly-colored competitors, products that are boldly black stand out. These unapologetically dark package designs put the focus on form, typography and minimalist embellishment to catch your eye on the shelf.

Coarse False Friends Blackout Box

(images via: lovelypackage)

What’s subtler than black-on-black? Coarse Toys designed this sleek custom box specifically for the Blackout version of its ‘Cloacked Noop’ and ‘Pitch-Black Paw!’ toy set, stamping the box with a barely-there hint of gold foil.

Auténtico Tequila Alacrán Bottle

(image via: lovelypackage)

It’s rebellious packaging for a rebellious brand of tequila, made by a group of friends in Mexico City. Matte black and inspired by the shape of a canteen crossed with a liquor flask, this bottle has a soft ‘velvety’ feel to it.

‘400 Costumes to Die For’ Tube

(image via: lovelypackage)

As a promo piece, this definitely works: cross funny cartoons with a distinctly adult black-and-white color scheme and stamp the word ‘freakshow’ on the top, and you’re going to get some attention. GS Designs released this set of two custom-made 20-sided dice, one printed with modifiers and the other with nouns, as a fun way to help people come up with a unique costume idea. Who could resist a kung fu gnome, or Biker Jesus?

Timberland & Concepts Shoe Box

(image via: lovelypackage)

When Timberland collaborated with shoe store Concepts on an all-black boot, run-of-the-mill packaging wasn’t even an option. The hexagonal black box designed by Creative Pilot definitely gives you a feel for what’s inside.

Back&Forth – Unavoidable Casualty CD Sleeve

(image via: lovelypackage)

Physical music media will never disappear altogether if more record labels put out packaging this beautiful. The black DVD-format case, with its graphic white print, just begs you to pick it up and take a closer look.

Rubyy Energy Drink Can

(image via: the dieline)

If you saw this can sitting next to a Red Bull in a cooler case, which would you choose? The Rubyy Blood Orange Energy Drink packaging is more visually interesting by far, and as “the first ultra-premium luxury energy drink”, it aims to be seen – high on the shelf beside top-quality liquor.

Black Pop-Up Popcorn Packages

(images via: lovelypackage)

Popcorn is kind of a ‘fun’ snack, so why not put it in a fun package? This origami pop-up popcorn packaging is a concept by Anni Nykänen of Packlab Design in Finland.

Doritos ‘The End’ Special Edition Bags/

(images via: the dieline)

For its campaign ‘The End’, featuring two new special flavors – onion rings n’ ketchup and buffalo wings n’ ranch – Doritos commissioned designer Shikatani Lacroix to create these bold eye-catching bags in black and white, which undoubtedly stood out from the crowd of bright colors during its brief time on the shelf in Canada.

Meteor Wine Bottles

(images via: the dieline)

A black sky is the perfect backdrop for a full white moon, constellations and meteors, so it only makes sense as the base of this concept for White Fences Vineyards by WORK labs. “We like to think this bottle is a nice example of ‘less is more,’” say the designers.

Box for the Kindle 2 E-Reader

(images via: creative fluff)

The second version of Amazon’s Kindle e-reader got a sleek redesign – and so did the packaging. Both have black-on-black designs, the matte backgrounds sprinkled with glossy letters.

Marseille Soap Company

(images via: popsop)

Marseille Soap Company keeps things simple with black-on-black packaging; perfect for those who care about every little design detail in the bathroom.

Renova Black Toilet Paper

(image via: jennbrady)

And if you’re going to have an all-black soap dispenser in your bathroom, why not go all out and match the toilet paper, too? Renova black toilet paper even comes in a decorative black tin. This Amazon.com review says it all: “As a loyal minion to the Commander-in-Chief of the Galactic Empire, I can attest to the sweet fragrance, strength and absorbency of this product: the Dark Lord of the Sith will countenance no other luxury bath tissue in his personal toilet chamber. “

Floating Mountain Wine Bottles

(image via: lovelypackage)

Concrete Creative gave Floating Mountain wines a dramatic new look with matte black printed paper labels, embellished with black gloss foil.

Acushla Olive Oil Tin

(image via: lovelypackage)

This design concept elevates a bottle of olive oil on your kitchen counter to décor. Black is definitely a flattering color for Acushla Organic Olive Oil, especially combined with a shade of green appropriately borrowed from the color of an olive leaf.

Skullcandy Headphones Package

(image via: buzz-beast.com)

All-black headphones get matte black packaging enhanced with debossed texture and gloss varnish graphics in this set by Skullcandy.

Cocoa Absolute Chocolate Bar Packaging

(image via: lovelypackage)

Black packaging, with an emphasis on typography and just a hint of color in a beige-and-pink band, somehow makes this chocolate bar by Cocoa Absolute seem even more tempting.