Most packaging projects begin when the product already exists. AM Beverage took the opposite path. Conceived for entrepreneur Paulo Zottolo, the project was born from the ambition to create a new category of functional beverages for the North American market, inspired by the biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest and aimed at California's growing healthy food segment. The proposal combined flavored water, natural ingredients and active plant-based compounds in a premium product designed for specialized retail networks like Whole Foods Market and other wellness-focused retailers. Developed entirely by SB\Design under the creative direction of Sandro Bianco, the work encompassed all stages of product conception. From naming creation to brand strategy, from positioning to structural bottle design, through visual identity, line architecture, graphic system, art direction and packaging development, every decision was made to build a brand capable of inaugurating a new language within the functional beverages segment. More than designing a package, the challenge was to completely rethink the consumption experience. The brief identified an opportunity rarely explored by the market. Most functional beverages used traditional packaging, while supplements and medicines—products whose communication depends on information clarity—remained trapped in cylindrical bottles that hindered label readability. The goal was to unite the perception of trust from the pharmaceutical universe with the lightness and contemporary appeal of a natural beverage, creating a minimalist, functional and immediately recognizable package. Instead of adapting an existing container, SB\Design began the project through packaging engineering itself. Dozens of alternatives were studied until reaching a proprietary flat-faced design developed to expand useful communication area, facilitate reading of essential information and provide a more intuitive experience for the consumer. This solution brought benefits far beyond aesthetics. The new geometry increased the structural resistance of the bottle during hot filling, improved stacking, reduced logistical risks and enabled more efficient transport and storage utilization. The concept evolved into industrial designs and technical validations conducted jointly with Graham Packaging Company, demonstrating that design could act simultaneously as a communication tool and engineering solution. With the structural architecture defined, SB\Design developed a complete branding system capable of sustaining future brand expansion. The name AM synthesizes the Amazonian origin of the project and gave rise to a minimalist visual identity, built on high-contrast typography, large color planes and a graphic architecture inspired by the visual organization of pharmaceutical packaging. Each flavor received its own color, forming a chromatic system capable of instantly identifying each variant and strengthening line navigation at the point of sale. The project also established criteria for information hierarchy, visual language, institutional applications and portfolio expansion, allowing new products to be incorporated while maintaining total consistency. Throughout development, dozens of structural solutions and more than forty graphic alternatives were explored before defining the final line architecture. Flavor development was performed by Wild Flavors, while packaging engineering was conducted by Graham Packaging Company, consolidating multidisciplinary collaboration between branding, structural design and industrial engineering. Although commercial launch was interrupted due to high industrialization costs, the project reached an advanced level of development. Prototypes, industrial designs, structural studies, identity system and complete line architecture were completed, demonstrating the technical viability of the concept and preparing the product for scale production. The fact that it did not reach the market does not diminish its importance. On the contrary. AM Beverage highlights a dimension often invisible in design: the ability to transform an idea into a complete product, reconciling strategy, branding, engineering, ergonomics, communication and user experience before the first unit is produced. AM Beverage represents a comprehensive vision of design's role in product development. Rather than acting solely as an aesthetic element, SB\Design used design as an innovation tool, integrating brand strategy, naming, structural design, packaging engineering, visual identity and portfolio architecture into a single coherent system. The result is a project that demonstrates how design can participate from concept definition through industrial viability of a product, creating value long before commercial launch. AM Beverage is one of the projects that best represents SB\Design's multidisciplinary approach. Under the creative direction of Sandro Bianco, the work goes beyond traditional branding and packaging limits to act in the creation of a new product category. Regardless of its commercialization, AM Beverage remains a complete study of innovation applied to design, evidencing SB\Design's capacity to transform market opportunities into integrated systems of product, brand and experience.
