Students from the Leeds Beckett University Retail institute have been involved in a competition run by Allied Glass in collaboration with the University and Leeds Gin to create a new premium gin pack for the Leeds Gin brand.
The final year students were provided with a design brief which highlighted current trends in the spirits industry and also conducted their own research into the gin sector and specifically the Leeds Gin Brand. For the competition they were asked to provide a full pack design for two containers sizes, 70cl and 20cl, and a range of three flavours. Students were tasked to ensure each of the flavours could be differentiated, but remained recognisable as one brand.
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.”
Nasos Raptis was awarded the first prize in the competition and will take part in a two week work placement in the Allied Design studio. Nasos’s design focused 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 Nasos and James will have their designs brought to life through the creation of 3D printed models.
