Allied Glass, in collaboration with the Retail Institute, Leeds Beckett University and Leeds Gin have recently run a competition for the final year design students to create a new premium gin pack for the Leeds Gin Brand.
Students were given a design brief highlighting current trends in the spirits industry, including provenance, premium and simplicity of design. They were asked to produce a full pack design for two container sizes, 70cl and 20cl, and for a range of three different flavours.
The packs had to show some differentiation to identify the flavours but had to remain recognisable as one brand to reflect the trends for smaller sizes, variation and choice in the current premium spirits market.
The students conducted their own research into the gin sector and into Leeds Gin brand specifically. Under the guidance of an academic tutor, the students developed their design concepts and showcased their creative work in an adjudication event on 26th April.
The judging panel consisted of: Allied Glass representatives - Chris Todd, Rob Windley, and Mirela Apopei, Head of the Retail Institute - Olga Munroe and Senior Lecturer from the School of Art, Architecture & Design - Andrew DuFeu. After over two hours of deliberations a decision was reached on the winning design concept.
Chris Todd Allied’s Innovation Manager said: “The level of work created by all the students was impressive, particularly the way each piece of work drew on inspiration from the distilling process and from the city of Leeds itself.
It is so important for local, authentic brands to have a sense of place and to tell their story through all their interactions with the consumer including the packaging, it was great to see the students creating an identity with their ideas.”
First prize in the Leeds Gin competition was awarded to Nasos Raptis, who created an excellent piece of work, conceptually drawing on the architectural heritage of Leeds Town Hall and the city’s Coat of Arms, providing a consistent and engaging story throughout.
The head of the judging panel, Chris Todd explains why this particular design was appreciated by all the judges: “We were impressed by the amount of time and effort that had clearly gone into the creation of these designs, Nasos has shown an understanding of the standard, better, best principle and demonstrated how to premiumise a pack while maintaining its brand identity.
“His design met the brief entirely, presenting us with a range of designs that reflected traditional gin with iconic Leeds architecture expressed in the design and logo. He has shown a clear understanding of how to premumise packaging, not only creating the primary pack but also secondary packaging that would be used for the more premium presentation propositions.”
The runner up, James Pollock, secured a strong second position by creating a design inspired by the distilling process, reminiscent of art deco lines, which by combining rose gold and copper print effects, offers an elegant yet minimalist decanter style bottle.
Both winners will have their designs brought to life through the creation of 3D printed models and the 1st prize winner will be given a two week placement in the Allied Design Studio.
