Building 43 Winery had wine for bottling and an empty building secured at the historic Alameda Naval Air Station. To build their brand, Gail Johnston used an aerial photo of the station's "X" runway for inspiration. Design D was chosen for its urban feel and emphasis on 43 — the actual number still on the building from when it was used as an EOD unit.
While waiting for TTB approval, Johnston designed and built the website and provided a "how-to" sheet for the winery to make their own posts. She also developed a seal to highlight the tasting room's location at Alameda Point Spirits Alley. The fourth seal was chosen for its drawing of the Grumman F6F Hellcat, the navy’s best fighter for the last two years of WWII.
The next challenge was to design a unique label for the winemaker's red blend. In the style of World War II bomber nose art, Johnston put "43" on an old-fashioned bomb and designed a series of "Bomber Red" labels for each year's special blend.
Johnston continued to build the brand with the design of business cards, stemware, apparel, tasting room decor and more.