Withers’ piece was selected by winery owners Barbara and David DelMonaco who worked with David Gallop, assistant professor of design and digital media in Tech’s School of Art, Craft & Design, to give students the opportunity to work on a real world design project.
“It was great to be able to reach out to members of the community who were looking to use a graphic designer for their label,” Gallop said. “The students having the opportunity to work with a business and now for Brook, having her work out there on display for hundreds of people to see, it really was an ideal situation for our students.”
Gallop’s students met with the DelMonacos multiple times over the course of the semester, allowing them to describe to the students what they were looking for, review and offer feedback on the students work and then select a design for the bottle.
DelMoncao Winery is located nearby a train stop and is a popular destination for train tours traveling to and from the Nashville area. With the winery’s 10th anniversary approaching, the Delmonacos planned a wine that could be a souvenir for folks who stop in on train tours and that could commemorate their anniversary.
“The students were great,” said Barbabra DelMonaco. “They were very attuned and interested in doing a real label here. They were beyond professional. Each one did a unique label. There is a lot of talent in that class, and I could’ve easily used every single one of them.”
Withers, a Crossville native, digitally drew a label that featured the train, the train stop marker near the winery and the DelMonaco logo and slogan “Starts with the Vine.” She also selected the name Rustic Rails Red for the wine.
From Gallop’s class, the DelMonacos reviewed 17 total designs before selecting Withers’.
“Brook’s design had everything we were looking for,” said David DelMonaco. “It caught your attention and represented exactly what we wanted.”
Whithers is used to working with more traditional media, so digitally drawing the logo was an exciting challenge for her.
“I saw their vision and understood that they wanted to do their 10th anniversary justice, so I chose a classic, vintage style,” Withers said. “I am with some great graphic designers in my group, so I wasn’t sure my design would be selected. It was a real surprise to me.”
Withers said she has been drawing and designing since she was a child but never expected to be using her drawing skills for graphic design.
“We could not have picked nicer people to work with on this project,” Withers said. “They have been so encouraging and open to our ideas and really made the whole class experience amazing.”
Bottles of Rustic Rails Red featuring Withers’ label will be on the shelves at the winery later this summer and the DelMonacos are so happy with the design, they plan to continue using the label even after their anniversary year.
