The Donn An Uisge-Beatha Èireannach Braiche Singilte by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins

The Donn An Uisge-Beatha Èireannach Braiche Singilte by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 Duais Òir A' Design Award in Dealbhadh Pacaidh Competition Category.

ÒrPacadh· 2023

The Donn An Uisge-Beatha Èireannach Braiche Singilte

by Tiago Russo and Katia Martins

Client: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.

Duais Òir A' Design Award Winner in Pacadh Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About The Donn An Uisge-Beatha Èireannach Braiche Singilte

Tha an Donn a' samhlachadh am fear as òige de raon The Craft Irish Whisky Co.; slighe gu prìomh luachan a’ bhrand mar eòlas bogaidh timcheall air seo no toradh sam bith a leasaicheas CIWC. Chan eil sgeadachadh sam bith air a shàbhaladh, chan eil mion-fhiosrachadh ro bheag. Bho dhealbhadh botal aithris aimhreiteach, gu bogsa faicsinneach bogaidh, gheibh an neach-cleachdaidh a h-uile pàirt a bheir seachad fìor eòlas uisge-beatha dha aon. Bidh glainne, pìobaireachd agus clachan, uile air an daingneachadh gu sàbhailte air cùl suede a ’bhogsa, a’ cruthachadh taisbeanadh tèarainte de ghoireasan, le suathadh bog de mhion-fhiosrachadh leathair.

The Recognition

About the Duais Òir A' Design Award

Tha The Donn An Uisge-Beatha Èireannach Braiche Singilte air Duais Òir A' Design Award a bhuannachadh, aithneachadh anabarrach urramach a bheirear do dhealbhaidhean den chiad ìre, mìorbhaileach agus sònraichte. Tha buannaichean Òir nan cruthachaidhean anabarrach ùr-ghnàthach, làn lèirsinn agus drùidhteach a nochdas gèinidh, gliocas agus comas an luchd-dealbhaidh. Thathar an dùil gum bi The Donn An Uisge-Beatha Èireannach Braiche Singilte na innleachd a gheibh moladh mòr, a stèidhicheas gluasadan agus mòr-chuimhneachain a bheir luach nach fhacas riamh roimhe. Tha an dealbhadh seo a bhuannaich Duais Òir A' Design Award na phròiseact sònraichte, urramach a bhrosnaicheas crìochan ealain, saidheans, dealbhaidh agus teicneolais gu mòr. Bidh The Donn An Uisge-Beatha Èireannach Braiche Singilte a' cruthachadh faireachdainnean làidir miann, a' dùsgadh dealas, a' brosnachadh cruthachalachd agus a' glacadh sinn.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: A mythological creation that sees its storytelling translated and reinterpreted through an impactful design, The Donn represents the first ever retail tailored product from The Craft Irish Whiskey Co., and therefore, focuses on the bottle and on how a single vessel can tell its own story whilst captivating the world around it. Subsequently, its experience box comes to elevate and highlight the vessel shaping, by adopting a see-through section with a similar angled geometry.
Dimensions & Packaging: The vessel’s divergent shape and enlarged shoulder acts like a freestanding monument, whilst allowing a recessed gap for the user to grab the bottle with ease, in the exact balancing spot that will allow a soft and smooth pour, all designed and enclosed within the perfect combination of aesthetics, mythology, ergonomics and sensorial experience. Subsequently, the experience box comes into play to add to the full experience, in a singular moment of introspection and appreciation.
Tags: Whiskey, luxury, design, craftsmanship, experience, immersion, packaging, product, exclusive, bottle
Production Technology: With its faceted, angular shaping, The Donn bottle was envisioned with a large, solid base, elevating the whiskey and its shades onto the narrowest part of the bottle. From there, the planar surfaces reflect the whiskey colours in every direction, in a vessel that must be visible from all angles, with one’s attention grabbed and enchanted onto it, as the glass elevates, widens and creates the inverted lip at the very top of its shoulders, creating the basis for a vertical elevated posture.
Design Challenge: Apart from the extensive search for disruptive, eye-catching elements that could generate the differentiating point for The Donn, the core of the development process relied on creating a product that, whilst encompassing difference and irreverence, could still stay true to the brand’s ultra-premium look and feel, that could be considered a worthy successor of previous years’ releases, elevating whiskey and brand as one. Desire, disruption, tradition, all merged together in a single design.
Research: As a product that is tailored to a broader range of users and buyers than the rest of the brand’s range, the research stage was focused on the retail whiskey market, in order to understand what could be a shape and appealing design for this product to stand out from the shelves, in such a competitive market. It was a search for differentiating assets, for disruptiveness that could elevate and highlight The Donn beyond its direct competitors, through design and mythology.
Inspiration: In Irish mythology, Donn is associated to the god of the dead. Derived from the Celtic word for Dark Lord, Donn is said to dwell under the rock tunnel at Tech Duinn, where the souls of the dead gather to be chosen by the Donn. With Tech Duinn associated with the formation of Bull Rock in Ireland, The Donn bottle is inspired by the geometric rock formations on the side of this island, where an inverted elevating geometry was adopted, as to represent the conquering of Tech Duinn and The Donn.
Project Duration: Introduced by The Craft Irish Whiskey Co. early 2023, The Donn represents the youngest addition to the luxury whiskey range, with its bottle developed for almost two years, in order to achieve the ultimate vessel, with the rock-formed geometry appearing in the glass smoothly and ensuring the liquid inside stays visible and truly benefits from all the angles and reflections promoted by the extremely angular asymmetrical bottle, topped by obsidian and rose gold knurl detailing on the closure.
Operation Flow: The Donn packaging is a sensorial experience embedded onto the dark oak, leather, rose gold details, and most importantly, a moment of tasting and celebration, alongside the intricate vessel. Concise angles are used as the main focus point, drawing the attention towards the bottle, where the faceted shaping, iconic of this vessel, has inspired a similar angular and transparent window, teasing the viewer onto the natural shades of the Whiskey whilst bursting all the light refractions through.
Team Members: Tiago Russo
Katia Martins
Jose Augusto
Image Credits: The Craft Irish Whiskey Co.