The original Hildon bottle was created in 1988. Its design was based on the classic Bordeaux shape with its distinctive high shoulder, which originated in the early 19th century. The accentuated shape of this bottle’s shoulder derived from the fact that older red Bordeaux wines often have sediment, which settles at the bottom of the bottle – so when the wine is poured into a glass, or decanted into a carafe, the shoulders serve to hold back the impurities. The Bordeaux region has been responsible for some of the world’s greatest wines, including those few that have achieved the ultimate Premier Grand Cru Classé category; as a consequence, this shape has become associated with the greatest wines of all.

Hildon has always had a close association with the wine trade and is the first choice for cleansing the palate at many prestigious wine tastings. It seemed entirely appropriate, therefore, to base the bottle design for Hildon Natural Mineral Water on this classic Bordeaux shape.

At the time, this made Hildon unique and immediately identifiable alongside such competitors as the Indian-club bottle design of Perrier, or the sloping, Burgundy bottle design favoured by other waters.

Hildon was quickly successful at establishing its market position; its bottle not only echoing its quality, but sitting perfectly on dining tables alongside top-quality Bordeaux wines. The water became a natural accompaniment to fine dining, both in terms of its taste and the visual harmony its bottle achieves at a table set for a first-class meal.

Unfortunately, this success was to be imitated. As the design became associated with quality, several other waters changed to, or launched into, the Hildon shape and it became widespread on the open market.

To maintain its individuality, and to reflect its distinctive quality, Hildon has therefore sought a new design of bottle – one that retains the brand associations of the previous shape, but which, like its taste, is distinct from its imitators. This was the challenge set before design consultancies Tin Horse (which created the bottle) and Osborne Pike (which redesigned the label). Working together, the design teams created a number of themes that embodied Hildon’s existing brand values and encapsulated its aspirations for the future.

With such a well-known and long-established shape, it was of the utmost importance that any new design would create a sense of continuity. Initial trials using other wine bottle profiles were soon discarded in favour of retaining the upright Bordeaux shape, with its wide shoulders and distinctive neck.
         
The labelling style, in which the neck label touches the cap in a manner reminiscent of a wine capsule, has also been maintained, while the shoulder has been decorated with an embossed ‘double h’ symbol. This graphic is repeated on the pale turquoise and white labelling to give the impression of a watermark, thus underlining Hildon’s pedigree and quality. The serif type face remains, but is lighter, and the product descriptors ‘Gently Sparkling’ and ‘Delightfully Still’ have taken centre stage in a flowing script on both the neck and bottle labels.

Ultimately, all the original elements of the distinctive initial design have been preserved, yet subtly altered and improved so that the ‘authentically English’ look that sets Hildon apart from other Natural Mineral Waters continues to come through loud and clear.