LogoLounge 5

“An impudent design which is not a standard representation of

usual labels, in this case, for lemonade, has turned out well,”

Zheleznyakov says. “It is interesting for me to work on the project

because the client was not afraid to take risks. He was not afraid

to be unlike anybody else. Nonstandard and courageous deci-

sions seldom happen in life.”

Russian designer Yaroslav Zheleznyakov of Y-Design in the city of

Yaroslavl, Russia, explains that his client’s product—lemonade—

although ubiquitous in other parts of the world, is perhaps a bit

more out of the ordinary in his region.

“The client is engaged in the manufacture of lemonade in bottles

and will market it under the name ‘Lemonades from Arbuzov,’

so the trademark translates to “lemonades from watermelons,’”

Zheleznyakov says. “‘Watermelons’ are the invented surname

of the seller of the product. The name was amusing to the client

and me too.”

In Russia, consumers’ relationship to lemonade is different than

in other places. It is never something that children would sell at a

sidewalk stand, and almost never would anyone make it at home.

In addition, it is usually a carbonated drink sold only in shops or

cafeterias. Lemonade is regarded as a children’s drink, related to

holidays and nostalgia.

“But lemonade is considered to be a bit old-fashioned, purchased

now by people middle-aged and older,” Zheleznyakov says. The

designer wanted to fi nd a way to refresh the concept of the drink

itself and make it more relevant to consumers today.

He decided to play off of the nostalgia component. Buyers in the

client’s target group not only thought back fondly on lemonade as

a happy childhood memory, but they would also have the same

feelings for the circus, which Zheleznyakov says was more popu-

lar than the movies at the time. So he started to experiment with

Cyrillic lettering that would be reminiscent of a circus poster of the

time. But he made the letterforms and colors very contemporary,

almost like graffi ti.

Through many trials, he puzzled together letterforms into a leaf

shape. The result is as much an intricate illustration or illumination

as it is a trademark name. Its color is easily changed to refl ect

the client’s various fl avor offerings, and it sits nicely on the clear

bottles of drink.

The client was very happy with the design, the designer reports.

The packaging stands out among competitors’ products because

it is so unusual and contrary.

Lemonades from Arbuzov

Identity and Product Design

Y-Design, Yaroslavl, Russia

127

Russian designer Yaroslav Zheleznyakov wanted not only to give

the product a distinctive look with his new identity, but also to

refresh the way Russian’s viewed lemonade.

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