Three talented design students from the University of Dundee have been selected as winners to have their work displayed at Fettercairn Distillery in Aberdeenshire as part of their third-year final design project.
Fettercairn Distillery has partnered with the University of Dundee for a second year, giving students the opportunity to design a packaging concept for one expression of the Fettercairn whisky brand.
Third-year design students were tasked with creating a packaging concept for the award-winning Highland single malt, with their designs taking inspiration from the local landscape, people or community. They visited the distillery earlier this year to learn about the Fettercairn brand, its history and the landscape.
The three winners were Annabel Cameron (20, Edinburgh), Louis Deer (21, Stirling) and Jisoo Kim (20, Edinburgh). Each used different materials to create unique concepts which were presented to Jo Mullen (Whyte & Mackay), Claire Marwaha (Whyte & Mackay) and Rory Banks (GPA Global), who selected the final winners.
Polly Duplock, Senior Lecturer in Design & Making, said:
“It has been great to work with the team at Whyte & Mackay. Their Fettercairn whisky is such an intriguing mix of history and contemporary thinking – perfect for a design project. Product Design at the University of Dundee is interested in exploring issues such as the places that we live and work as well as how we can design more sustainably. As part of the project, we walked in the local landscape at the foot of the Cairngorms and worked with local sustainable materials, such as oak. All the students on the project came up with thoughtful and interesting responses to the brief. The three winning students really understood and designed for the essence of what Fettercairn whisky is. Working alongside our dedicated expertise in the workshops, they managed to craft a great level of finish for their final packaging designs. I’m really proud of them all!”
Claire Marwaha, Senior Brand Manager said:
“The entire year group created incredible designs, and were able to talk through their inspiration, their process and their final creations with such confidence. Finalising a shortlist was no easy task, but the selected winners showed a great level of imagination and the technical skills to be able to follow through on those concepts. That’s resulted in some final designs that aren’t just practical – they’re absolutely beautiful. We’re delighted to continue supporting the next generation of designers, and excited to see what they do next.”
Jo Mullen, Head of NPI at Whyte & Mackay said:
“The quality of innovation and raw talent on display was outstanding, reinforcing the power of collaboration between industry and emerging creative talent.”
Annabel designed a display case for Fettercairn’s aged expressions, with space for a bottle and two rocks glasses, with the intention for a dram to be shared with friends and family. Wooden slats, represent the American white oak casks and traditional wooden washbacks used at the distillery, and a copper base represents the stills and Fettercairn’s unique copper cooling ring, with teal embellishments tying in to the brand’s identity.
Louis’ packaging was designed to hold Fettercairn’s 50-year-old and was inspired by the unicorn in the brand’s logo. Oak was selected as the primary material, which represents the oak casks used to age Fettercairn’s whisky, and a spiral was carved out of the case, inspired by the unicorn’s horn. Felt was used inside the packaging to create a copper patina look.
Jisoo created a multi-purpose silk scarf, inspired by the view from the washroom out towards the Cairngorm hills. Jisoo hand-embroidered the silk scarf with a flowing hill pattern, with barley placed on each of its four corners. The colours and composition were designed to wrap naturally around a bottle of Fettercairn, and to also be worn as an accessory.
The winning designs will be on display at Fettercairn Distillery until the end of September. Visits and tours can be booked at https://www.fettercairnwhisky.com/en-gb/visit-us/