As a primary driver of consumer choice, the leap from creative concept to press-ready label can make or break on-shelf impact. Addressing this challenge is the objective of the annual ROTOCON Student Wine Label Design Competition, which recently announced the winners of its fourth edition.

Through a partnership between ROTOCON, SA Litho Label Printers, Polyflex Premedia, and the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), the competition has become a professional benchmark for South African design students.

This year’s theme, A New Vintage of Vision, asked students to consider how their generation will influence the future of wine branding. The competition included 57 undergraduate students from TUT’s Department of Visual Communication (Integrated Communication Design), Faculty of Arts and Design.

Where craft meets constraint

The results, announced at a ceremony at Irene Lodge on 17 April, highlighted a high level of artistic skill and technical consideration. First place was awarded to Mpilo Mthembu, followed by Kara-Mari Gresse in second place and Itumeleng Mohlala in third place. Ntokozo Tshabalala received a special mention for his work.

A core component of this B2B initiative is its focus on practical industry requirements. Led by Banie Stafford of B.Creative, ROTOCON’s marketing agency, the programme functions as a series of technical workshops.

Before beginning their designs, students attended sessions covering the realities of modern label production. The curriculum focused on the essential pillars of the trade, starting with an understanding of how ink interacts with various substrates during the printing process. Students also studied the application of embellishments such as foils, high-build varnishes and tactile finishes. Further sessions detailed the impact of material selection, specifically how paper choice and die cutting affect the final product, as well as broader market strategies including typography and designing for specific target demographics.

Building industry skills

‘This competition is about more than design – it’s about shaping industry-ready thinkers,’ Banie comments. ‘And this year’s group delivered exactly that.’

By explaining the conversion process, the competition ensures that students graduate with the ability to produce labels that are both creative and commercially viable for high-speed production.

The judging panel, which met on 16 April, represented key parts of the production value chain, from equipment manufacturing to prepress and final print. The panel included ROTOCON group CEO Michael Aengenvoort, SA Litho Label Printers’ general manager Dawrian Salies and Polyflex Premedia’s group operations manager Stuart Baylis.

This professional scrutiny ensures that winning designs meet the standards required by the wine and packaging sectors. For the participants, receiving feedback from these executives provides a realistic assessment of their work’s market readiness.

For the winners, the rewards include direct industry immersion. Mpilo, Kara-Mari and Itumeleng will be flown to Cape Town for an extensive factory tour of SA Litho Label Printers. During this visit, they will watch their winning labels being printed. Witnessing the transition from a digital file to a physical product – and managing variables like registration, ink density and substrate absorption – provides practical experience that complements their academic studies.

Additionally, the winners will be recognised at the WineLand Media 30 Under 30 Awards in June. ROTOCON has sponsored this event for seven consecutive years, maintaining its support for young professionals within the wine value chain.

The competition aligns with ROTOCON’s broader business strategy. Headquartered in Hamburg and Cape Town, with branches in the US, Johannesburg, Durban and Asia, ROTOCON provides turnkey solutions for the label printing and packaging industry.

The company manufactures a wide range of printing, converting, finishing and ancillary equipment. Its model focuses on understanding specific production environments to provide tailored recommendations that balance quality with competitive pricing. Beyond machinery, ROTOCON’s global reach allows it to offer comprehensive lifecycle support, including on-site installation, training and maintenance as well as the supply of spare parts, consumables and refurbished equipment.

As the printing industry adopts new automation and digital technologies, the need for skilled designers who understand these processes remains constant. By investing in TUT students, ROTOCON and its partners are helping to maintain a pipeline of talent for the South African print and packaging sector.

As Mpilo’s winning design moves to the production floor in Cape Town, it represents the successful collaboration between industry leaders and academic institutions to prepare the next generation of designers for the technical demands of the market.

Inside the winning labels

First place: Die Onderstok (Mpilo Mthembu)

Mpilo’s concept roots itself in the story of Pinotage, a cultivar that survived through grafting onto hardy rootstock. Die Onderstok (the rootstock) becomes both metaphor and message: resilience, continuity and reinvention. Rather than chasing novelty, the design leans into heritage as a platform for innovation, reflecting how South African wine has evolved without losing its identity.

Second place: Boerperd (Kara-Mari Gresse)

Kara-Mari’s Boerperd captures motion and memory in a single frame. A detailed horse head dissolves into softer, abstract strokes along the body, a visual transition that suggests history slipping into the present. The design balances tactility and restraint: a matte, off-white substrate, muted grey typography and subtle foiling create a quiet premium feel.

Third place: Penguin Series (Itumeleng Mohlala)

Itumeleng shifts the lens to the Western Cape coastline, drawing inspiration from the penguins of Boulders Beach. A diving penguin becomes the central motif, a metaphor for ‘diving into flavour’, rendered through a Bauhaus-influenced aesthetic that introduces abstraction into a traditionally conservative category.

Special mention: Klopse Revival (Ntokozo Tshabalala)

Ntokozo concept pulls from Cape Town’s Kaapse Klopse, blending cultural expression with contemporary fashion cues. The label plays with the idea of the tie, once formal, now reinterpreted, as both graphic element and social commentary. It speaks to a consumer who moves between structure and release: corporate by day, unwinding by night.

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