Smari Cretan Honey company has asked us to design a label for its new product, Pefkothymaromelo P.D.O. (pine and thyme honey), which has high nutritional value and is produced exclusively in Crete. Honey is one of the flagship agricultural products on Crete, valued as much as olive oil and an important source of subsistence for Cretans.

Cretan honey is famed all over the world for its unique flavor, but also for its health benefits and It is cherished in most homes. The pine and thyme honey which has been produced in Crete for more than a century is a product of the natural mixing of pine honey with the thyme one. There has been a certain long lasting traditional procedure of producing this type of honey, a procedure which has to do with the selective harvesting of the thyme hives, the reduction of the insects in the pines and the renewal of its population in autumn as well.

The inspiration for the design was the very name of the product. Smari is called the flock formed when the queen and her followers leave a hive to create a new one. The hexagons that move freely in space symbolize the bees, which gather together to form a new hive. At the center of the hive, there is the queen. Perfect symmetrical shapes suggest a well-organized bee society. The hexagon, using motifs from the Cretan textile industry, captures the new hive in a minimal way. The basic colour of the label is white in order to prevent any distractions to this unique product amber tone and natural vibrance. This particular honey’s color is darker than the thyme one and lighter than the pine one. The clear glass jar was chosen because it ensures no crystallization of this unique honey and provides instant product recognition on the shelf.