Press Release
The Mulong Single Malt Irish Whiskey by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins Receives the Golden A' Design Award in Packaging Design
Tiago Russo and Katia Martins recognized for packaging design by the international grand jury of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 21, 2024 /DesignNewswire/ The Mulong Single Malt Irish Whiskey by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins, designed for The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., has been granted the Golden A' Design Award in the Packaging Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2023 - 2024 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Golden A' Design Award
The Gold A' Design Award is granted to designs that demonstrate a high level of innovation and a significant impact on their intended audience. Recognized as a major achievement by the A' Design Awards, these designs are characterized by their visionary approach and the exceptional skill of their creators. Winners of the Gold A' Design Award are noted for their ability to push the envelope in art, science, design, and technology, delivering solutions that not only meet but exceed expectations. These designs serve as benchmarks for excellence, encouraging further innovation and inspiring future generations of designers.
Regarding The Mulong Single Malt Irish Whiskey
The Mulong is a packaging design for a single malt Irish whiskey. The bottle and its presentation box are inspired by the Chinese Year of the Wood Dragon. Mahogany components refer to the casks used for the whiskey, while metallic trims follow traditional Chinese patterns. The top of the bottle forms a temple shape, and the closure must be rotated into a set pattern to open. A hidden key unlocks the box, where doors, sliding partitions and two drawers hold the glasses, coasters and accessories. The design creates a slow reveal and a gradual discovery.
About Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
Tiago Russo is the Chief Design Officer at The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., a premium & luxury Irish spirits brand that aims to elevate and return to Ireland its former glory and reputation as home of the best whiskies in the world. Building an empire with a global mind-set and Irish heart. Over the last decade Russo has designed for some of the most respectable brands in the world. His impressive portfolio spans the luxury lifestyle domain from spirits to cosmetics, automotive to timepieces including: The Macallan, Dewar’s, The Dalmore, Craigellachie, Bacardi, Louis Vuitton, Patek Philippe, Coty Inc. and McLaren, to name a few.
Award Record
Tiago Russo and Katia Martins is a winner of 13 A' Design Awards, including this recognition. The awards span the editions from 2020 - 2021 to 2023 - 2024 of the A' Design Award & Competition.
About the A' Packaging Design Award
The A' Packaging Design Award is an international packaging competition that recognizes outstanding packaging designs by talented packaging designers worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to packaging designers, graphic designers, branding agencies and product manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include bottles, boxes, cans, pouches, tubes and cartons. Awarded packaging designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/packaging
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/160078
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/160078
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!160078
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/287645
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
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Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- The Mulong Single Malt Irish Whiskey
- Function
- Single Malt Irish Whiskey
- Category
- Packaging Design
- Discipline
- Communication Design
- Industry
- Packaging & Retail, Branding & Advertising and Manufacturing
- Colors
- Black, Saddle Brown, Sienna, Maroon and Peru
- Images
- 5
- Client
- The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
- Country
- Portugal
- Recognition
- Golden A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2023 - 2024
- Design ID
- #160078
Credits
- Team
- Tiago Russo and Katia Martins
- Image Credits
- The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- An homage to the Year of the Dragon, and the Wood Dragon itself, The Mulong is a symbol of immersion, a journey of discovery, an elevation and tribute to Chinese culture, values and mythology. Capturing and bottling the symbolism and values of the Chinese Dragon, this journey starts with a vessel that embodies the details of this mythical creature, merging wood and metal detailing to generate a slow reveal, a sensorial experience in a moment to appreciate one of the finest whiskeys on earth.
- Inspiration
- Directly inspired and paying the utmost homage to the Chinese Year of the Dragon, The Mulong takes its core elements and features from Chinese culture and Design, where ancestral mahogany work merges with metallic patterns and secret partitions, creating a memorable discovery of every single detail within this whiskey. Being 2024 the year of the Wood Dragon, Mulong takes its direct approach and correlation to the wooden elements and symbolism present in the craftsmanship of the whiskey there.
- Research
- There is no Mulong without a deep dive into the Chinese zodiac and all the cultural values directly linked to the mythology and mysticism of each and every single element of the Year of the Dragon. The iconography, the symbolism, the meaning, the proverbs, and ultimately, the core values of the Wood Dragon, all present in The Mulong are the core basis to all the R&D and design process of this uniquely crafted experience: attention to detail is present on every single element of this experience.
- Challenge
- To pay a tribute, the ultimate homage, an incredible amount of dedication and immersion into Chinese culture, values and mythology is mandatory from the very first second of the design process. The Mulong aims to bring an elevation of the entire perception of The Year of The Dragon, associated with a whiskey and sensorial experience that truly brings an intimate, perfected moment to the users that have the opportunity to unleash the good fortune and powers of The Mulong.
- Realization and Technology
- Wooden components were added to the bottle structure as a direct homage to the Wood Dragon and the casks used to create The Mulong whiskey. To balance them, metallic trims inspired by Chinese patterns reflect the temple structure at the top of the bottle, where a closure is inscribed with words of positive value, that have to be rotated into a certain pattern in order to unleash the closure itself. The box further extends this process, where hidden keys unlock the bottle holder and riser itself.
- Operation and Interaction
- Once the key is extracted from the hidden partition within the dragon in the back of the experience box, that same key will start the unlocking of all of The Mulong's secrets. Opening the front doors through its traditional handle, the user can immerse upon the detail of this temple of meaningful, sensorial mythology. Sliding the partitions to remove the items, one must now unlock the upper lock to unleash the bottle and its sheer powerful presence, creating the ultimate experiential moment.
- Project Duration and Location
- Idealised and studied for over a year, The Mulong was a discovery of traditional Chinese elements that could be integrated and crafted into the utmost contemporary design. Its core development duration has been directly related to the immersion and homage into all the meaningful assets of Chinese culture, in a respectful tribute that creates a parallelism into the dedication and craftsmanship poured into the creation of such a rare and unique whiskey inside.
- Specifications
- The closure is locked at the very top by a metallic mesh that hides away a red gemstone at the very top of the bottle. Once unlocked, it can be removed and placed as a plinth to serve and elevate the bottle itself. Inside, the doors reveal the coasters and two partitions, that can slide and merge into a single pattern, to allow for the removal of either the glasses or bottle. Underneath, hidden away with the metal trims, two drawers reveal the accessories for the ultimate whiskey experience.
- Keywords
- Whiskey, luxury, design, craftsmanship, experience, immersion, packaging, product, Dragon, Chinese
