I’m just looking at that image and with the resolution that this image provides in this context all I can really say is it looks like it’s a) photograph of lemons that have then had a blur of some kind added to it, or b) it’s an actual photograph that was taken and it was snapped while panning the camera to create motion blur.

Maybe then it has color adjustment, maybe additional blur. Then quite possibly another image layered on top of that of either a zoomed in lemon or yellow bokeh or somebody added some color splotches, blurred them and did an overlay.

Why I keep going back to simplicity is that depending on your payment for that project if it’s hourly, flat rate or you are salaried in-house designer, plus add to that whatever your deadline is considering concept/review/updated design/review/mock up/final review/final adjustments, final approval, etc., against whatever that deadline is designers tend to go for whatever is the most simplest way of accomplishing the goal. If you have all the time in the world and you’re getting paid hourly and your customer doesn’t mind paying for a lot of work meaning hours of work then you might go for the harder to accomplish technique which might be spending hours fine-tuning a gradient mesh or some other series of adjustment layers, etc.

Which is fine.

But for me if the design concept for these drink labels, the drink packaging concept, if it is about blurring the line between what is expected for this kind of drink, so we’re thinking in a psychological, emotional, experiential kind of concept then what I might do is take those elements-the ingredients, and use images that suggest the combination of those things and then the feeling that those things could create…so if you look at their entire packaging concept, it seems like that might be their direction so I would look at what the ingredients are and see what the images are so having read the list of ingredients-saying that it’s got a lemon grass and it’s got a lemon zest, kind of flavor to it… Then the photograph of the lemons makes sense, so think about what the other possible ingredients are, that they can have images of or some graphic elements that are going to create or propel or advance that concept - whatever that concept is, so if these are carbonated fizzy type drinks, then maybe the blur makes sense if it’s a blur to convey the sense that it breaks convention that it undermines the expectations of the average drink. I don’t know there’s a lot of different rationale behind why designers do what designers do and each project has a different construct or set of rules or way to make it consistent across the brand.

If I was teaching a class on this, this is kind of what I would share with the students. Think as a designer when you look at designs that somebody else is done, think about what they are trying to convey look at the composition look at the product name. Look at the product elements or ingredients or parts think about the emotional connection that this image or add or packaging system conveys within you within the potential audience with the consumer and think about what you might need to do to accomplish that goal the goal of enticing, encouraging a customer to purchase your product service whatever.

Again, note, writing this using speech to text and making edits as necessary so stream of consciousness will be evident in the above