A recent assignment for the American magazine Communication Arts took me down to Shoreditch to meet the creative team at Stranger & Stranger. This is a company that specialises in alcohol packaging and label design, and I’ve never seen a portfolio so rich and varied when it comes to the application of type and illustration.

Some of my favourites include the Don Papa Filipino rum labels, and the range of work for the Compass Box distillery. Talking to Ivan Bell and Kevin Shaw, who run Stranger & Stranger out of London and San Francisco respectively, it was really inspiring to hear how they’ve grown the business by working with both well-known brands like Dewars and smaller start-ups like the London Liquor Company. It all began with wine, and has spread to spirits, beer and other products too.

They do a brilliant sideline in t-shirts, and I was lucky enough to leave with the Stranger & Stranger monograph book which features high quality photography of all their finest jobs. Their studio is like a museum of the finest booze labelling there is, and even the Stranger & Stranger business cards are an eclectic treat.