AccScience Publishing / DP / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/DP025490047
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What is in a bottle? Thirty design strategies for luxurious packaging, transcending intellectual property to embrace intellectual capital

Marlena Jankowska1* ,  Mirosław Pawełczyk1
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1 Institute of Law, Center for Design, Fashion and Advertisement Law, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Silesian Voivodeship
2 Institute of Law, Research Center for Public Competition Law and Sectoral Regulations, University of Silesia in Katowice, Katowice, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
DP, 025490047 https://doi.org/10.36922/DP025490047
Received: 5 December 2025 | Revised: 19 March 2026 | Accepted: 24 March 2026 | Published online: 26 May 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

This study explores the nuanced role of intellectual property (IP) and intellectual capital (IC) in the premium beverage industry, focusing on bottle design as a strategic asset. By analyzing the ways brands like Maker’s Mark, Veuve Clicquot, and Glenfiddich differentiate themselves through unique bottle features, our study highlights how companies are building brand identity and consumer loyalty outside conventional IP protections. This approach emphasizes the importance of design strategy in the beverage industry and reflects broader trends in leveraging IC to create a competitive advantage. This study examines the strategic role of bottle design within premium and luxury beverage brands, aiming to uncover how companies use IC—such as design, brand equity, and consumer perception—to create value in areas not covered in traditional IP rights. The study examines how design elements shape consumer expectations and enhance brand prestige, illuminating the intersection of IP and brand identity. The study provides a novel perspective on the role of design strategy in the premium beverage industry, contributing to both academic and practical discourse on how brands build value outside traditional IP frameworks. It highlights how bottle design serves as an IC, shaping brand identity and consumer loyalty in ways that redefine value creation in competitive markets.

Keywords
Design
Strategies
Design Strategies
Intellectual property
Intellectual capital
Bottle design
Funding
This study was fully funded by the National Science Centre in Poland, grant “Brand Abuse: Brand as a New Personal Interest under the Polish Civil Code against an EU and US Backdrop,” grant holder: Marlena Maria Jankowska- Augustyn; grant number: 2021/43/B/HS5/01156. For the purpose of Open Access, the author has applied a CC-BY public copyright license to any Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version arising from this submission.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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